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Tampa FL – Nikkos Hamlett Pays Health Care Kickbacks
Nikkos Hamlett, a 29-year-old man from Brandon, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pay kickbacks in connection with a federal health care benefit program. His crime could land him up to five years in federal prison.
Hamlett, an active duty Airman with the U.S. Air Force stationed at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, was initially recruited into the scheme by other active-duty military members to be a patient and obtain compounded creams marketed by Centurion Compounding Inc. between September 2014 and January 2015, Hamlett caused TRICARE to pay $84,487.43 in claims for his prescriptions for pain cream and scar cream.
Hamlett agreed and conspired with other members of his Centurion sales marketing group, self-labeled “team cream,” to give and offer to give TRICARE beneficiaries incentives, such as cash, meals, entertainment, and travel expenses, to visit a doctor and obtain prescriptions for Centurion-marketed compounded creams for which Hamlett and other “team cream” members would receive commissions. Between September 2014 and February 2015, Hamlett caused TRICARE to be billed approximately $640,577 for these creams, from which Centurion and Hamlett received commissions.
Hamlett received commissions from Centurion totaling approximately $30,000 and, at the time Centurion shut down in February 2015, he was owed an additional $66,000 in commissions. The case against Hamlett was investigated by the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Assistant United States Attorneys Mandy Riedel and Megan Kistler are prosecuting the case. A sentencing date for Hamlett has not yet been set.
The scheme, which targeted TRICARE beneficiaries, demonstrates the need for vigilance in the health care system to prevent such crimes from occurring in the future.
As a result of the scheme, TRICARE was billed approximately $640,577 for the compounded creams, from which Centurion and Hamlett received commissions.
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: White Collar Crime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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