Mississippi Podiatrist Drowns in Foot Bath Fraud

TAYLOR, MS – Marion Shaun Lund, 53, a podiatrist operating in Taylor, Mississippi, is facing up to a decade behind bars after pleading guilty to a brazen scheme to fleece Medicare and TRICARE. Lund ran a clinic and in-house pharmacy, allegedly turning routine foot care into a $1.4 million fraud operation.

According to federal prosecutors, Lund wasn’t interested in patient well-being, but in maximizing profit. From April 2020 through March 2022, the doctor routinely prescribed antibiotic and antifungal drugs to be mixed into warm water for “foot baths” – treatments prescribed not based on medical need, but to inflate reimbursement claims. He also ordered unnecessary toenail and wound cultures, sending them to a lab despite a lack of medical justification. The scheme netted over $700,000 in fraudulent reimbursements.

The Department of Justice alleges Lund wasn’t acting alone. He received cash kickbacks from a “marketer” in exchange for the prescriptions and test orders, turning his clinic into a pipeline for illicit funds. Lund pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Sentencing is scheduled for May 15, 2023, where he faces a maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison.

Lund is far from the only player facing consequences. Logan Hunter Power already received a 25-month sentence in October 2022 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and receive kickbacks. Two other podiatrists, Jared Lee Spicer, D.P.M., and Carey “Craig” Williams, D.P.M., have also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and are awaiting sentencing. This indicates a widespread, coordinated effort to exploit the healthcare system.

The investigation, a joint effort by the Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and the FBI, highlights the ongoing battle against healthcare fraud. Kenneth A. Polite, Jr., Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner for the Northern District of Mississippi announced the guilty plea, signaling a continued crackdown on such schemes.

This case is being prosecuted by Sara E. Porter and Justin M. Woodard of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, and Clayton A. Dabbs of the Northern District of Mississippi. The Fraud Section’s Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, active in 25 federal districts since 2007, has charged over 5,000 defendants responsible for over $24 billion in fraudulent claims. More information on combating healthcare fraud can be found at https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.