Louisville Pharmacist Gary Green Jailed in $188K Pain Cream Scam

LOUISVILLE, KY — A local pharmacist has been slammed with federal prison time after running a brazen health care fraud scheme that raked in over $188,000 through fraudulent pain cream prescriptions. Gary Green, 46, of Louisville, was sentenced to 9 months behind bars, ordered to pay $4,000 in fines, $188,157.55 in restitution, and forfeit $34,395 in illicit proceeds.

Court records show that between November 2015 and December 2018, Green exploited the National Provider Identifier numbers of two physicians—without their knowledge or consent—to submit false claims to health care benefit programs. The prescriptions were written for himself, family members, and employees, all for expensive compounded pain creams that were never medically justified. The money funneled from those fraudulent claims was deposited into his business accounts and then funneled into his personal bank accounts.

Green didn’t stop at billing scams. From April 2014 through January 2019, he violated federal controlled substance regulations by hiding the transfer and storage of Schedule II-IV and III-IV controlled drugs. After closing multiple pharmacy locations, Green moved the narcotics to an unlicensed commercial storage unit and failed to report the transfers to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), a direct violation of federal reporting mandates.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Tieke, Nicole Elver, and Joseph Ansari, with investigative support from Bob Masterson, a specialized health care fraud investigator. The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky, Michael A. Bennett, announced the outcome, emphasizing that fraud targeting public and private health care programs won’t go unpunished.

A sprawling federal and state coalition cracked the case open. Investigators included the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services Office of Inspector General, Kentucky State Police, Kentucky Department of Insurance, Department of Labor, DEA, IRS Criminal Investigations, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the FBI. The breadth of agencies involved underscores the complexity and severity of the scheme.

Green’s 9-month sentence sends a sharp message to medical professionals who exploit their access for personal gain. The $188,157.55 in restitution reflects the full financial damage caused by his actions, while the forfeiture strips him of any remaining illicit gains. In an era of rising health care costs, prosecutors say schemes like Green’s burden honest patients and insurers alike.

RELATED: Louisville Pharmacist Gary Green Jailed in $188K Pain Cream Scam