Nikkos Hamlett, Paying Healthcare Kickbacks, Florida 2023

Tampa, FL – A shocking case of corruption has unfolded in Tampa, where a 29-year-old man from Brandon has pleaded guilty to paying healthcare kickbacks. Nikkos Hamlett, an active duty Airman with the U.S. Air Force stationed at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, Hamlett was recruited into a scheme by other active-duty military members to be a patient and obtain compounded creams marketed by Centurion Compounding Inc., a marketing firm located in Wesley Chapel. 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 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. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mandy Riedel and Megan Kistler.

Nikkos Hamlett, a 29-year-old man from Brandon, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pay kickbacks in connection with a federal healthcare benefit program. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

The shocking case of corruption has unfolded in Tampa, where a young Airman has been caught in a scheme to pay healthcare kickbacks. Nikkos Hamlett, an active duty Airman with the U.S. Air Force, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pay kickbacks in connection with a federal healthcare benefit program.

Hamlett’s actions led to TRICARE paying approximately $640,577 for compounded creams, with Hamlett receiving commissions totaling approximately $30,000. He was also owed an additional $66,000 in commissions at the time Centurion shut down in February 2015.

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