A podiatrist in Mississippi has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of fraudulently filing more than $11 million in health care claims, according to a Magnolia State Live report.
Carey "Craig" Williams, 63, of Water Valley, Mississippi, is accused of defrauding health care benefit programs, including Medicare, by ordering unnecessary prescriptions and testing in exchange for cash kickbacks.
“Williams is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud; seven counts of health care fraud; one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to offer, pay, solicit, and receive kickbacks; and two counts of soliciting and receiving kickbacks," according to a press release from U.S Department of Justice. "He made his initial court appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge David A. Sanders of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi.”
Williams is alleged to have caused pharmacies to submit over $4.9 million in fraudulent Medicare claims between January 2018 and April 2021 and a laboratory to submit over $6.4 million in fraudulent Medicare claims between January 2018 and April 2021.
According to the indictment, Williams, who owned and operated both a podiatry clinic and in-house pharmacy, regularly prescribed antibiotics and antifungal medications to be dissolved in a warm foot bath to his patients; however, these medications typically contained "capsules and creams that were not medically indicated to be dissolved in water" and were allegedly selected based on their projected reimbursement amount instead of their medical necessity.
Additionally, Williams is charged with ordering unnecessary tests on patients' toenail clippings, including bacterial testing for 'cat scratch illness,' which prosecutors claim is unlikely to be found in toenails.
