Houston Pharmacist Found Guilty Of Health Care Fraud

HOUSTON, TX — A jury this week found a Houston pharmacist dubbed "Compound King" guilty of charges related to health care fraud, wire fraud and money laundering, U.S. Department of Justice officials said.

Following a 6-day trial, George Phillip Tompkins, 75, on Tuesday was convicted on all charges —one count each of conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks, conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering as well as 11 counts of health care fraud and three counts of wire fraud, officials said.

According to evidence presented at trial, Tompkins and others billed the federal government approximately $21.8 million for medically unnecessary compound gels and creams that were predicated on illegal kickback payments, U.S. Department of Justice officials said in a press advisory. The jury learned that Tompkins and Anoop Chaturvedi, 48, a legal permanent resident from India, created a scheme to generate compounded pain cream prescriptions and bill health care programs for injured state and federal employees, officials said.

As part of the scheme, Tompkins and Chaturvedi created a separate entity named Wellington Advisors to receive the program money from the Department of Labor's Office of Workers Compensation programs and Federal Employees Compensation Act, officials said.

Evidence introduced at trial showed that Tompkins sought to disguise illicit kickback payments as legitimate “marketing” expenses and continued to ship patients compound gels and creams even after patients repeatedly complained they did not want them, justice officials noted.

U.S. District Judge Sim Lake of the Southern District of Texas presided over the trial and set sentencing for May 27.

Previously, officials noted, Tompkins’ wife Marene Kathryn Tompkins, 68, pleaded guilty in January 2020 to one count of conspiracy to pay kickbacks and is also awaiting sentencing. Justice official said Chaturvedi is considered a fugitive, and a warrant remains outstanding for his arrest in connection with the charges. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the U.S. Postal Service — Office of Inspector General at 1-888-877-7644. Chaturvedi is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law, officials stressed.