Federal prosecutors have successfully secured 24-month prison sentences for two Florida men who orchestrated a sophisticated conspiracy to bill Medicare for medically unnecessary medications through a Kansas-based pharmacy.
Steven Anthony Churchill, 39, of Boca Raton, and Samson Kollelil Solomon, 28, of Pompano Beach, received their sentences following guilty pleas to charges stemming from the extensive healthcare fraud operation. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas, both defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, mail fraud, and wire fraud.
The federal investigation into the scheme also identified a third co-conspirator, Fawn Lickteig, 46, of Lawrence, Kansas, who has been implicated in the fraudulent operation. Judicial records indicate that Lickteig is currently scheduled to appear in federal court for her sentencing hearing on November 10th, 2026, where she will face the legal consequences of her role in the illicit network.
The fraudulent enterprise centered around the acquisition and operation of Free State Pharmacy, commonly referred to as FSP. Court documents detail that in March 2020, Steven Anthony Churchill acquired the pharmacy utilizing the stolen identity of a deceased individual. Rather than operating the establishment as a traditional, community-facing pharmacy, the defendants transformed it into a mail-order business. However, to evade regulatory scrutiny and secure improper reimbursements, they deliberately misrepresented FSP to Medicare as a conventional retail storefront.
Operating primarily out of state, the conspirators utilized patient information harvested from various telemedicine firms. Armed with this sensitive personal data, the operation proceeded to fill high-cost dermatology prescriptions without conducting any proper, individualized patient evaluations or establishing a legitimate physician-patient relationship. These unnecessary and unverified prescriptions formed the basis of a massive false billing campaign directed at federal healthcare programs.
In total, the defendants submitted 2,699 false claims to Medicare. This coordinated flood of fraudulent billing resulted in $897,405 in improper payments disbursed by the federal government. Investigators noted a distinct geographic anomaly in the execution of the scheme: although Free State Pharmacy was physically located within the state of Kansas, the vast majority of the beneficiaries targeted by the scam resided in Florida. Out of the thousands of false claims processed, 948 claims specifically targeted Florida residents, while only 381 claims involved individuals residing in Kansas, with the remainder distributed among other demographics, primarily affecting Florida beneficiaries.
The sentencing of Churchill and Solomon underscores the ongoing, heightened enforcement priorities of federal authorities targeting healthcare fraud, mail fraud, and wire fraud. The abuse of government programs designed to assist vulnerable populations has drawn intense scrutiny from federal inspectors general and the United States Department of Justice.
Commenting on the successful prosecution and the broader implications of the case, U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser emphasized the critical importance of protecting public healthcare infrastructure from malicious exploitation.
"Medicare exists to help senior citizens obtain the medical services and supplies they need," stated U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser regarding the case. "Those who pillage government programs for their own enrichment will pay a heavy price when brought to justice. The agency Inspectors General under this administration are hard at work rooting out this type of fraud, and the Department of Justice stands ready to prosecute when it is found."
The collaborative investigation involving federal prosecutors, postal inspectors, and healthcare oversight bodies successfully dismantled the cross-country operation. As Churchill and Solomon begin serving their 24-month federal prison sentences, the legal proceedings continue to move forward for the remaining defendants linked to the nearly $900,000 Medicare scam.
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