OXFORD, Miss — A grand jury in Oxford, Mississippi, has indicted a north Mississippi podiatrist, accused of ordering unnecessary medications and testing in exchange for bribes and kickbacks.
63-year-old Carey “Craig” Williams of Water Valley, Mississippi, owned and operated North Mississippi Foot Specialists P.C. and an in-house pharmacy. According to the indictment, Williams would prescribe antibiotics and antifungal drugs to be mixed with warm water for patients to soak their feet. The problem is, the drugs used for the foot baths were not “medically indicated to be dissolved in water and were often chosen based on their anticipated reimbursement amount rather than on medical necessity,” according to prosecutors.
Williams is also accused of ordering unnecessary testing on patients’ toenail clippings, including for bacteria that causes ‘cat scratch disease,’ which prosecutors said is unlikely to be found in a toenail.
The indictment said Williams solicited and received cash kickbacks in exchange for referring prescriptions for the foot bath medications and testing to pharmacies and laboratories.
The indictment said between July 2016 and July 2021, Williams is accused of causing pharmacies to submit more than $4.9 million in fake claims to Medicare. It said from January 2018 to April 2021, Williams caused a laboratory to submit more than $6.4 million in fake Medicare claims.
Williams is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud; seven counts of health care fraud; one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to offer, pay, solicit, and receive kickbacks; and two counts of soliciting and receiving kickbacks.