BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Today an additional defendant pleaded guilty in a long-running investigation into a prescription drug-billing scheme involving a Haleyville, Ala.-based pharmacy, Northside Pharmacy doing business as Global Compounding Pharmacy. U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr., U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Special Agent in Charge Derrick L. Jackson, Defense Criminal Investigative Service Special Agent in Charge Cynthia Bruce, United States Postal Inspector in Charge, Houston Division Adrian Gonzalez, and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge James Dorsey announced the guilty plea.
James A Mays, III, 44, of Winfield, Ala., entered a guilty plea before U.S. District Judge L. Scott Coogler to one count of conspiring to commit health care and mail fraud, twelve counts of health care fraud, and three counts of money laundering based on spending the proceeds of health care fraud.
Between August 2013 and November 2014, Mays co-owned the operations of Global Medical Equipment and Supplies, Inc. (GMES). In October 2014, Mays became co-owner of Affiliate Pharmacy Strickland. After Jeremy Adams and Jeffrey Black purchased GMES and Northside Pharmacy in November 2014, Mays continued as a pharmacist at Global and directed pharmacy operations at Global and Affiliate Pharmacies. May’s guilty plea brings the total number of defendants who have pleaded guilty in the larger investigation to 26. Those who have previously pleaded guilty include two nurse practitioners, the CEO, the COO, a vice president of sales, an operations manager, multiple district managers, and multiple sales representatives.