Robert Courtney
| Robert Courtney | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Robert Ray Courtney September 15, 1952 Hays, Kansas, USA |
| Alma mater | University of Kansas |
| Occupation | Former pharmacist |
| Criminal charge | Pharmaceutical fraud |
| Criminal penalty | 30 years |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated |
| Spouse(s) | Laura Courtney |
| Children | 5 |
Robert Ray Courtney (born September 15, 1952) is an American former pharmacist who owned and operated Research Medical Tower Pharmacy in Kansas City, Missouri. In 2002 he was convicted of pharmaceutical fraud and sentenced to federal prison. He is currently serving his sentence at Gilmer Federal Correctional Institution in West Virginia.
Courtney was born in Hays, Kansas. His father was a traveling minister based in Scott City, Kansas, and described Courtney as an "ideal son." He played the trombone at Wichita South High School. Courtney graduated from the School of Pharmacy at University of Missouri–Kansas City in 1975.
Before his arrest, Courtney served as a deacon at an Assembly of God church in Kansas City.
In 1990, Courtney began purchasing pharmaceuticals on the gray market and using them to fill prescriptions at his pharmacy. In time he began diluting prescriptions to increase profits. Both practices were illegal.
In 1992, he and his first wife divorced; Courtney retained custody of their two daughters. His second marriage lasted four or five days and was later annulled. In 1994 his third wife, Laura Courtney, gave birth to twins.
In 1998, an Eli Lilly sales representative noticed a discrepancy between the amount of the cancer drug Gemzar Courtney bought and the amount he sold. Lilly initiated an internal investigation but found no evidence of illegality and closed the investigation without further action. In 2001, the same Eli Lilly sales representative mentioned the matter to a nurse who worked for an oncologist in Courtney's building and was also one of Courtney's customers. The oncologist had medication that had been supplied by Courtney tested. When the results showed the prescriptions were diluted, the oncologist notified authorities.
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