Current:Home > NewsImprisoned drug-diluting pharmacist to be moved to halfway house soon, victims’ lawyer says -GrowthInsight
Imprisoned drug-diluting pharmacist to be moved to halfway house soon, victims’ lawyer says
View
Date:2025-04-12 06:19:49
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A former Kansas City-area pharmacist who has been incarcerated for more than two decades in a profit-boosting scheme to dilute tens of thousands of prescriptions for seriously ill patients is being moved to a halfway house this summer, an attorney for the victims said Tuesday.
Victims of Robert Courtney are outraged and demanding new charges, said Mike Ketchmark, an attorney whose office was involved in more than 275 wrongful death lawsuits against Courtney.
Ketchmark said he has gotten close to 100 calls since Courtney’s victims began receiving emails from the Department of Justice about the plan to transfer the 71-year-old to a Springfield, Missouri, facility in June. Ketchmark forwarded one of the emails to The Associated Press.
“His victims don’t believe that ... he should ever walk free again, and (think) that he ought to be charged under state law with murder, and ought to be held accountable,” he said. “And we are calling upon the Jackson County prosecutor’s office to do just that.”
A prosecutor’s office spokesman didn’t immediately respond to an email message seeking comment. Courtney’s lawyer, Jeremy Gordon, didn’t immediately respond to an email.
“It’s gut wrenching,” Ketchmark said, recalling a recent conversation he had with a man in his 80s whose wife was among the victims. “He was sobbing and bawling uncontrollably at the loss of his wife. And he just cannot believe that Robert Courtney is going to be potentially released from prison.”
During an investigation that began in 2001, Courtney admitted to diluting 72 different medications over nearly a decade. Most were cancer treatment drugs, but others could have been used to treat AIDS, multiple sclerosis, arthritis and other diseases. Authorities estimated his scheme could have affected 4,200 patients.
Courtney told prosecutors that he diluted the drugs to make money to pay a $600,000 tax bill and the final third of a $1 million pledge to his church.
Courtney’s insurance company agreed to pay $35 million to victims, and two pharmaceutical makers paid $71 million in settlements.
Don Ledford, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office, directed questions to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The agency said in an email that it doesn’t discuss release plans for specific inmates because of safety and security reasons. Its website lists Courtney’s final release date as May 2, 2026.
This isn’t the first time plans to move Courtney have met with resistance. He had been slotted to be released in 2020 to a halfway house as part of a review by the U.S. Department of Justice in response to the pandemic.
At the time Courtney’s own health was failing. One motion seeking compassionate release noted that he had suffered from hypertension, a stroke, three heart attacks, cancer and internal bleeding while in prison.
But Courtney remained locked up after four U.S. lawmakers called on then Attorney General William Barr to block the early release.
veryGood! (1)
Related
- Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
- 'Sorry, kid': Aaron Rodgers apologized to Garrett Wilson after tearing Achilles
- Illinois appeals court hears arguments on Jussie Smollett request to toss convictions
- His first purchase after a $5 million lottery win? Flowers for his wife, watermelon for himself
- Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
- A Missouri court upholds state Senate districts in the first test of revised redistricting rules
- MTV VMAs 2023: Shakira Thanks Her Sons For “Cheering Me Up” During New Life Chapter
- Higher investment means Hyundai could get $2.1 billion in aid to make electric cars in Georgia
- Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
- Bengals release offensive tackle La'el Collins less than two years after his signing
Ranking
- Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
- Sky-high CEO pay is in focus as workers everywhere are demanding higher wages
- How much melatonin should I take? Experts weigh in on dosage rules, how much is too much.
- Ultra-Orthodox men block Jerusalem traffic in protest against Israeli military draft
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- 'The Morning Show' is back, with a new billionaire
- South Korean and Polish leaders visit airbase in eastern Poland and discuss defense and energy ties
- Indiana Jones of the Art World helps Dutch police recover stolen van Gogh painting
Recommendation
EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
Simon Cowell dubs Golden Buzzer dance crew Chibi Unity 'one of the best acts' on 'AGT'
Firefighters battle peatland fires on Indonesia’s Sumatra island
Olympic gold medalist Sunisa Lee won't be part of US team at upcoming world championships
Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
Aaron Rodgers' Achilles injury affects the Green Bay Packers' future. Here's how.
Baltic states ban vehicles with Russian license plates in line with EU sanctions interpretation
Sex after menopause can still be great, fulfilling. Here's what you need to know.