Seven people are accused of using a medical practice to distribute drugs and profit from unnecessary medical services, the Department of Justice announced Sept. 30.
The seven charged are:
- Mark Murphy, 63, of Lewisburg, Tenn.
- Jennifer Murphy, 63, of Lewisburg
- Brian Bowman, 39, of Attalla, Ala.
- Christie Rollins (also goes by "Christie Schneid"), 49, of Petersburg,Tenn.
- Mark Murphy Jr., 33, of Lewisburg
- Willie Frank Murphy, 67, of Lewisburg
- Sharon Lutrell, 67, of Lewisburg
Mark Murphy and his wife, Jennifer Murphy, ran the North Alabama Pain Specialists clinic, with locations in Decatur, Ala., Madison, Ala., and Lewisburg, Tenn., according to the 25-count indictment filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.
The clinic was used to dispense controlled substances and built a large patient base, the Justice Department said. The pair allegedly got five other people involved in the scheme and defrauded insurers of at least $41 million for unnecessary medical services, the release said. The services included office visits, urine drug tests, durable medical equipment and nerve conduction studies.
Jennifer Murphy is also accused of hiding receipts of illegal kickbacks through a charity called the Crystal Murphy Enrichment Organization and submitting false tax returns to hide income from the scheme, according to a report from WAFF 48.
Read the full Justice Department news release here. Read the full WAFF 48 report here.
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