Texas Clinic Owner Convicted in $26 Million Military Health Care Fraud Scheme
Kevin D. Curry used proceeds from defrauding TRICARE to fund a lavish lifestyle, including a gold-plated Tesla Cybertruck.
A federal jury convicted Kevin D. Curry, 64, of Frisco, Texas, on Thursday for his role in a $26 million scheme that defrauded the military’s TRICARE health care program. Curry was found guilty of three counts of health care fraud, three counts of offering and paying illegal health care kickbacks, and three counts of engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property.
Prosecutors alleged that Curry, owner of mental health clinics in Plano and Fort Worth, Texas, and Fort Walton Beach, Florida, billed TRICARE for medically unnecessary transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy or treatments that were never provided. Evidence presented at trial indicated that Curry paid more than $5.5 million in illegal kickbacks to persuade active-duty servicemembers, veterans, and their families to undergo TMS therapy for which they did not qualify or never received.
The Justice Department stated that Curry falsely presented himself as a medical doctor and used licensed physicians' credentials without their knowledge to submit fraudulent claims to TRICARE. He also directed employees to fabricate medical records to justify these fraudulent billings.
Authorities reported that Curry's clinics submitted over $26 million in false claims to TRICARE, resulting in approximately $17 million in payments. Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald noted that the defendant exploited the TRICARE program to fund personal luxuries, including hotel stays, a casino-themed party, and a gold-plated Tesla Cybertruck valued at over $100,000.
US Attorney Ryan Raybould condemned Curry's actions, stating he "shamelessly preyed on the trust of servicemembers, veterans, and their families." Curry is scheduled for sentencing at a later date and faces a maximum of 10 years in prison for each of the nine counts.