Clinic owner stole millions from military health program to buy luxuries like gold-plated Cybertruck, DOJ says
The U.S. Justice Department released this image of a gold-plated Tesla Cybertruck that Kevin Curry allegedly purchased with money he obtained by defrauding the Tricare program. (Source: U.S. Justice Department)
A federal jury has convicted a Texas man accused of orchestrating a $26 million plot to steal taxpayer money that was meant to pay for health care for U.S. service members and spend it on luxury items like hotel stays, a casino-themed party, and a gold-plated Tesla Cybertruck, valued at over $100,000.
Big picture view:
On Friday, jurors found Kevin Curry guilty on nine charges that stemmed from allegations that the mental health clinics that he owned and operated billed the military’s health care program Tricare for therapy that was not necessary or not provided and then tried to hide it, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Federal prosecutors stated that his three clinics, which were located in Fort Worth, Texas; Plano, Texas; and Fort Walton Beach, Florida, collectively billed Tricare over $26 million in false, fraudulent, or kickback-related claims and were paid around $17 million of that sum.
What they're saying:
"This defendant exploited a critical health care program serving active-duty service members and their families, diverting taxpayer dollars to bankroll personal luxuries ranging from hotel stays to a casino-themed party and even a gold‑plated Tesla Cybertruck," Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Department of Justice’s National Fraud Enforcement Division said. "Such conduct is an affront to the military community and the American public."
The backstory:
The Justice Department alleged Curry spent over $5.5 million in kickbacks getting active-duty service members, veterans, and their family members to agree to transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy they did not need, and possibly did not even qualify for.
To do so, Curry posed as a medical doctor, prosecutors stated, and used real doctors’ credentials to bill Tricare. He is also accused of trying to hide his dealings by having employees falsify medical records that were submitted to Tricare.
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What they're saying:
"Kevin Curry shamelessly preyed on the trust of service members, veterans, and their families, siphoning millions from TRICARE through lies and coercion," U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould said. "He fabricated medical records, stole doctors’ identities and clogged the system with fraudulent claims, all while lining his pockets with kickback‑tainted money."
What's next:
Curry was convicted of three counts each of health care fraud, offering and paying illegal health care kickbacks, and engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property, and he is awaiting sentencing. He faces up to ten years in prison for each count.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from the U.S. Department of Justice. This story was reported from Orlando.