Mississippi Man Ordered to Pay $31 Million for Role in Healthcare Kickback Scheme

Today, Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson announced that the United States has obtained a civil judgment against a Batesville, Mississippi man for his role in orchestrating a commission-based referral scheme targeting federal healthcare programs, in violation of the False Claims Act (FCA) and the Anti-Kickback Statute. On March 16, 2026, a federal judge entered judgment against 67-year-old Robert L. Crites, the owner of Health Services Plus and TriCom, LLC, and a contractor of Extraordinary Scripts, Inc., in the amount of $31,039,134.82. According to court records, Crites and others associated with Extraordinary Scripts participated in an illegal kickback scheme in which they identified and referred patients across the country to Cloverland Pharmacy in Montgomery, Alabama. Crites primarily recruited beneficiaries of TRICARE, the health care program for members of the U.S. military and their families. In turn, the pharmacy paid Crites and his co-conspirators kickbacks for each referral.

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