HOUSTON — Three women from Houston, including two pharmacists and a physician, were indicted in connection with a massive $170 million healthcare fraud scheme, the Department of Justice announced on Tuesday.
Shalondria Simpson, who owns two pharmacies—Advance Pharmacy and TruCare Pharmacy—allegedly referred prescriptions to her businesses in exchange for illegal kickbacks and bribes. She is also accused of laundering the proceeds through multiple financial transactions, including cryptocurrency.
Her sister, Lashondria Simpson-Camp, a physician, and Shayla Bryant, a pharmacist and business manager, were also implicated in the scheme. Between 2016 and 2022, they submitted false claims to the Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Program for unnecessarily prescribed drugs, which were induced by kickbacks. These false claims totaled about $170 million.
The indictment also states that Simpson and Bryant conspired to pay kickbacks through shell entities and directly to physicians, including Simpson-Camp. The investigation involved the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General, Department of Labor, FBI, and Veterans Affairs.
The women face multiple charges, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S., paying healthcare kickbacks, healthcare fraud, and money laundering. If convicted, they could face 5 to 20 years in prison, depending on the charges.
