A Tennessee physician and his wife have been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for unlawfully distributing opioids while defrauding the U.S. and receiving kickbacks.
Mark and Jennifer Murphy, both 66 of Lewisburg, Tenn., were sentenced for charges of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to commit health care fraud, according to a March 7 news release. Jennifer Murphy was also convicted of tax-related charges for underreporting clinic income.
"Dr. Murphy and his wife preyed on countless vulnerable patients and stole tens of millions of dollars from Medicare and other taxpayer-funded health insurance programs," U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona said in the release. "Our office will continue to prosecute drug dealers and health care fraudsters to the full extent of the law."
The Murphys owned and operated North Alabama Pain Services, which had offices in Decatur and Madison, according to the release. As the sole doctor for both locations, Mark Murphy was allegedly prescribing opioids for his patients for years without seeing them for their monthly doctor visits.
According to the release, the clinics were closed in early 2017, and evidence shows Mark Murphy wrote prescriptions for more than 10 million opioid pills for the five year period before the offices closed.
“The abuse of prescription drugs, especially opioids, is a serious problem in our communities,” DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Towanda Thorne-James said in the release. “All too often, this abuse leads to addiction, shattered lives and even death. For the health and safety of our citizens, DEA and our law enforcement partners will continue to target those who illegally distribute these potentially dangerous drugs. We hope that the sentences in this case serve as a reminder to anyone who might illegally divert pharmaceuticals that they will be held accountable for the harm they cause.”
Evidence also shows that during this period, the Murphys ordered tens of millions of dollars of unnecessary items and services while receiving government kickbacks for the fraudulent orders and prescriptions, the release reported. The couple allegedly billed more than $280 million in fraudulent charges to Medicare, TRICARE and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama and were paid more than $50 million.
The Murphys have each been ordered to pay more than $50 million in restitution, according to the release. A co-conspirator, Christie Rollins, 52, of Petersburg, Tenn., was convicted for her part in selling unnecessary medical equipment and expensive treatments at NAPS and was sentenced to 24 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $564,000 in restitution.
