Fort Belvoir, Va. –
DCAA Operations Investigative Support Auditor Pam Kochis was honored with the Excellence in the Pursuit of Justice Award on May 16, 2024. This prestigious award recognizes federal, state, and local law enforcement partners for their exceptional contributions to the Department of Justice mission. Pam was awarded for her outstanding work creating trial exhibits and conducting analysis crucial to a major healthcare fraud case. Her work played a pivotal role helping prosecutors, resulting in over $107 million in restitution and more than 21 years of prison sentencing.
The Medicine Shoppe case involved a married couple’s conspiracy that resulted in over $65 million in fraudulent claims against TRICARE, the healthcare program covering United States service members. Alongside the couple, eight others were included in the fraud: two doctors, one nurse practitioner, and five recruiters. Pam’s trial exhibits presented case data and insightful analysis, revealing the key discrepancies in the case. This was instrumental in securing guilty pleas from the key defendants and owners of the Medicine Shoppe. Her data and analysis demonstrated patients receiving prescriptions did not correspond to patients attending doctor visits.
Reflecting on her experience, Pam shared, “This was a very special case because the DCIS Special Agent I worked with was amazing. I started working with OIS (Operations Investigative Support) in 2021, and this case would have been my first trial experience, but the defendants ended up agreeing to a plea deal before going to trial. I truly enjoyed working on such a complex case with such a great team.” She expressed gratitude for the exceptional collaboration with Defense Criminal Investigative Service agents and emphasized their expertise and teamwork throughout the case. Pam also shared, “My passion for the work I do at OIS, coupled with the invaluable relationships I’ve forged with the special agents I support, makes this work deeply rewarding.” The final defendants in this case received their sentences on April 12, 2024.
Read the Department of Justice press release for more information about the case.