Jacksonville man convicted for healthcare kickback scheme

FLORIDA – A jury has convicted a Jacksonville man for receiving and paying illegal healthcare kickbacks, said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.

A federal jury has returned guilty verdicts on an indictment charging Mario Correa Jackson, 38, of Jacksonville, with illegally soliciting and receiving healthcare kickbacks and illegally offering and paying healthcare kickbacks.

Jackson faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each charge. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the evidence presented at trial, Jackson received illegal healthcare kickbacks for recruiting individuals to sign up for prescription compound creams. While working in the linen department of the NAS JAX Hospital, Jackson is alleged to have specifically targeted members of the military to ensure that the military members’ health insurance, TRICARE, would pay for the cost of the compound creams.

Reportedly, the creams were used for treating pain, scars, and migraines, which prosecutors said was the most lucrative for kickback purposes.

The compound creams cost TRICARE, on average, tens of thousands of dollars per cream, the USAO said.

According to the USAO, in addition to receiving kickbacks for receiving his own creams, Jackson also paid kickbacks to others once he had signed them up to get their creams and automatic refills, regardless of whether they needed the creams.

According to prosecutors, Jackson was responsible for signing up at least 40 individuals, for whom he would receive an additional kickback for recruiting them as “patients.” Once the individuals showed proof of obtaining their prescription cream, Jackson reportedly paid them their illegal kickbacks of several hundreds of dollars per cream they received.

This case was investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John Cannizzaro, Mai Tran, and Julie Hackenberry.