What kind of health care professional would dilute chemotherapy drugs, risking the lives of trusting cancer patients and breaking the trust of oncologist physicians? What kind of man would defraud Medicare, Medicaid, and insurance companies of millions of dollars, then give much of the ill-gotten money to the church where he was a deacon? Kansas City pharmacist Robert Ray Courtney is that man. In 1990, Courtney began purchasing pharmaceuticals on the gray market — distribution channels that are not authorized by the original manufacturer or trademark proprietor — and using them to fill prescriptions at his pharmacy, Research Medical Tower Pharmacy. In time, he began diluting prescriptions to increase profits. Both practices are illegal. In 1998, after pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly noticed Courtney was selling three times the amount of the cancer drug Gemzar than he had bought, the company initiated an investigation. Unfortunately, they found no evidence of a crime and closed the investigation without further action. In 2001, a nurse in the office of oncologist Dr. Verda Hunter, learned of the Eli Lilly investigation. Because the doctor’s office had used Courtney’s pharmacy, the nurse told Dr. Hunter, who ended up testing a medication that had been supplied by Courtney. The results showed that the sample contained less than one-third of the drug prescribed. Upon receiving the test results back, Hunter immediately cut ties with Courtney and notified the FBI. The FBI and FDA then conducted their own investigations, and on August 13, 2001, federal agents raided Research Medical Tower Pharmacy. Courtney was charged with 20 counts of tampering with consumer products and adulterating and misbranding drugs. Facing the prospect of life in prison if convicted at trial, on February 20, 2002, Courtney pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison. In July 2020, Courtney requested compassionate release, citing numerous health issues. Federal Judge Ortrie D. Smith turned down the request. Courtney was released to home confinement on August 1, 2024 to serve out the remaining 6 years of his sentence, despite criticism from lawmakers and victims’ families.
