MARKETER PLEADS GUILTY IN ILLEGAL KICKBACK SCHEME

Joshua Pearson, a marketer from St. George, Utah, pleaded guilty on October 22, 2019, in U.S. District Court, Central District of California, to receipt of illegal kickbacks related to a health care fraud scheme. As part the scheme, Pearson received kickbacks from Sheridan Medical for patient referrals for compounded drugs—drugs that were medically unnecessary. A marketer from Sheridan Medical and the owner of Fusion Rx Compounding Pharmacy, both in Los Angeles, were also charged for their role in the scheme. The Amtrak health insurance plan was fraudulently billed $17,000 as a result of the scheme. Criminal judicial proceedings for all three defendants are pending.