Federal prosecutors have secured 24-month prison sentences for two Florida men who conspired to bill Medicare for unnecessary medications through a Kansas pharmacy, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Kansas.
Steven Anthony Churchill, 39, of Boca Raton, and Samson Kollelil Solomon, 28, of Pompano Beach, each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, mail fraud, and wire fraud.
Churchill acquired Free State Pharmacy in March 2020 using the identity of a deceased individual and operated it as a mail-order business while representing it to Medicare as a retail outlet. The operation obtained patient information from telemedicine firms and filled high-cost dermatology prescriptions without proper patient evaluations.
The scheme resulted in 2,699 false claims totaling $897,405 in improper Medicare payments. Although the pharmacy was based in Kansas, the majority of beneficiaries were Florida residents, accounting for 948 of the fraudulent claims, with 381 claims involving Kansas residents.
A third defendant, Fawn Lickteig, 46, of Lawrence, Kansas, is scheduled for sentencing on November 10, 2026.
U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser stated that those who exploit government programs for personal gain will face significant consequences when prosecuted, and that inspector generals continue efforts to identify and root out such fraud.
