A federal jury in Fort Worth convicted Kevin D. Curry, 64, of Frisco, Texas, on nine counts tied to a scheme that billed the military health program TRICARE $26 million for brain-stimulation treatments that were medically unnecessary or never provided, the Justice Department announced. TRICARE paid about $17 million of those bills, according to the department’s announcement. Sentencing has not been scheduled.
Nine counts, three clinics and a verdict from Sept. 24
According to the Justice Department release, the jury returned its verdict on Sept. 24, 2026, and the department announced it the next day. The counts split evenly: three of health care fraud, three of offering or paying illegal health care kickbacks, and three of engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property. Each count carries a maximum of 10 years in prison, though a sentence is set later by a judge and the release does not say what the court will impose.
The treatment at issue was transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS. The billing ran through three companies the department names: Acuity TMS of Plano LLC and Acuity TMS of Fort Worth LLC in Texas, and Emerald Coast TMS of Fort Walton Beach LLC in Florida. Prosecutors tried the case in the Northern District of Texas, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan Womble and Fraud Division trial attorneys Adam Tisdall and Yael Mash handling it.
Why $26 million billed and $17 million paid are different numbers
The two figures in the release describe different stages of the same claims. The $26 million is the amount submitted to TRICARE; the roughly $17 million is what the program actually paid out. Reading the case as a loss figure means using the smaller number, since the larger one is what was asked for. The Justice Department release does not break down why the two amounts differ.
The release also describes a scheme that leaned on borrowed legitimacy. Curry, it says, falsely held himself out to be a medical doctor and used real doctors’ credentials without their knowledge and consent. Prosecutors further said he offered patients more than $5.5 million in kickbacks, and that he bought a gold-plated Tesla Cybertruck worth more than $100,000 with proceeds. Those points come from the government’s account of the trial and the verdict; the release is the source for each of them.
Where the program’s own money leaks
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald said in the release that the defendant “exploited a critical health care program serving active-duty servicemembers and their families.” The money at stake is public money, and the department’s Health Care Fraud Unit page, last updated Aug. 24, 2026, says more than 75 prosecutors work only on health care fraud, that the unit conducts more trials than any other Justice Department component, and that data analysts help its prosecutors spot emerging schemes.
The investigating agencies named in this case were the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the FBI’s Dallas Field Office, the Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General. That mix reflects how one clinic operator can touch several programs at once: military coverage, state Medicaid oversight and veterans’ benefits.
What TRICARE tells beneficiaries to check on their own statements
Cases like this one are usually built from provider billing data, but the Defense Health Agency also asks beneficiaries to act as a second check. A TRICARE News article from Feb. 14, 2024 says fraud and abuse cost the program “millions” of taxpayer dollars each year, in the words of Jennifer Dietz, the agency official quoted there. Its advice for beneficiaries is to review the Explanation of Benefits for correct dates, locations and services, to track bills so a service is not billed twice, to treat plan information like a credit card, and to be wary of “free” services that require plan details.
The same article lists what counts as fraud, such as claims for services never provided, falsified records and misstated dates or service descriptions. It lists what counts as abuse, including repeated claims for unnecessary services. Those two categories map closely onto the language in the Curry verdict, where the treatments were described as unnecessary or never given. Reports can be made anonymously and are kept confidential, according to the article.
Reporting routes are free and run through the contractors
TRICARE’s fraud and abuse reporting page routes each report by the type of care: the regional contractors for medical care, Express Scripts for pharmacy at 866-216-7096, and United Concordia for dental at 877-968-7455. TRICARE For Life claims go to WPS Government Services at 866-773-0404.
The Health.mil reporting page adds that the Defense Health Agency’s Office of Inspector General handles suspected fraud that falls outside a specific contractor program. The TRICARE reporting page also flags two red flags: unsolicited contacts recommending products or prescriptions, and requests for a Social Security number.
The Justice Department release states that the jury convicted Curry, that each count carries up to 10 years, and that sentencing remains to be scheduled; no sentence has been imposed.
Older households and the first hours after a fraudulent charge
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This article was produced with AI assistance and checked against the primary sources linked above.
Warren Cohen is a finance writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, covering personal finance topics including credit, banking, and beginner investing. He earned his degree in business administration from Arizona State University and began his career working in consumer finance, where he gained direct experience with lending and credit systems. He now writes for personal finance websites and fintech platforms, focusing on clear, practical content that helps readers make informed financial decisions.
