Doctor pleaded guilty in Mississippi pain cream scheme. Here is his sentence.

Lici Beveridge, Mississippi Clarion Ledger
·3 min read
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A doctor who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor federal charge in connection with a pain cream scheme that bilked TRICARE and other health care benefits providers of more than $515 million in Mississippi alone will not see any prison time.

Dr. Gregory Auzenne, 51, of Meridian entered a guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge of fraudulent failure to disclose information involving federal health care programs during a hearing Monday at William M. Colmer Federal Courthouse in Hattiesburg.

He admitted he did not notify authorities of questionable activity on the part of former pharmacist Marco Moran that he may have suspected. Moran pleaded guilty to his involvement in the healthcare fraud and is serving a 10-year prison sentence.

Auzenne was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay a $20,000 fine and $116,623.23 in restitution.

Auzenne pleaded guilty before U.S. District Senior Judge Keith Starrett, who told him now that his court case is over, he can help others avoid going down the wrong path.

"A lot of people will listen to you because you've been there," Starrett said. "You can do a lot to help other people stay out of trouble."

Starrett said Auzenne's probation would be shortened if the fine and restitution were paid in full before the five years was up.

What happened:Doctor accused in Mississippi pain cream scheme will have another day in court.

Dr. Gregory Auzenne of Meridian walks to the Thad Cochran United States Courthouse in Jackson, Miss., to stand trial for his role in an ongoing pain cream fraud case, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020.
Dr. Gregory Auzenne of Meridian walks to the Thad Cochran United States Courthouse in Jackson, Miss., to stand trial for his role in an ongoing pain cream fraud case, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020.

He initially was indicted on charges of violating the federal anti-kickback statute, three wire fraud charges, three conspiracy charges and making false statements relating to healthcare matters.

After a two-week trial at the Thad Cochran Federal Courthouse in Jackson, a jury found him not guilty of seven of the charges but hung on the eighth — making false statements. Auzenne was set to stand trial on that charge earlier in March. The trial was canceled after Auzenne changed his plea.

Auzenne was the only witness to testify at his sentencing hearing. He told Starrett he has changed a lot since his trial in 2020.

"It was rough," he said. "I had to get my life back on track. I had to rehabilitate myself and my practice."

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Auzenne said is he is now in private practice and has control over every aspect of his business, which includes 10 employees. He formerly worked with Rush Health Systems, where he was one of many physicians and did not have control over day-to-day operations.

"I can now take responsibility for everything," he said. "I can make changes if I see something wrong. I can try to make a correction."

In the original indictment, Auzenne was accused of causing around $18 million in the fraud scheme that cost insurers more than $1.5 billion nationwide.

Auzenne was one of more than two dozen charged in the case. All but one was found guilty at trial or pleaded guilty.

"I realize I made mistakes in the past," he said. "I'm really sorry. I will work harder than ever to be a better person."

Do you have a story to share? Contact Lici Beveridge at lbeveridge@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @licibev or Facebook at facebook.com/licibeveridge.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi doctor gets probation in pain cream scheme