Marketer Pleads Guilty to Participating in $200M Compound Drug Scheme

Friday, February 22, 2019 | 0

A Mississippi woman pleaded guilty on Wednesday to participating in a fraudulent compound drug scheme that netted $200 million from Tricare, a health insurance program for the military, and other government health care programs, federal prosecutors said.

Hope E. Thomley

Hope E. Thomley, of Hattiesburg, 52, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for Southern Mississippi to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and tax evasion. She is scheduled to be sentenced on July 2.

U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst said Thomley participated in one of the largest health care fraud schemes in Mississippi history. Prosecutors say she had an exclusive marketing contract with Advantage Pharmacy in Hattiesburg and received nearly 50% of the revenues the pharmacy received from Tricare and other health care programs.

Thomley admitted that Advantage formulated compound drugs without regard to the needs of the patient, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. She obtained prescribers' signatures on blank prescription forms, and filled them out with the names of her children and the Tricare beneficiaries she and her husband recruited. 

Thomley also evaded $6.6 million in income taxes that were owed from her earnings through the fraudulent scheme, according to prosecutors. The government seized more than $15 million in cash and other assets, which will be forfeited in connection with Thomley's guilty plea.

Since 2017, nine others involved in the scheme have pleaded guilty, and one was convicted at trial.