KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — One of the nation’s largest pharmaceutical distributors will pay the government $8 million to settle kickback allegations that involved a former member of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Dublin, Ohio-based Cardinal Health Inc. said Thursday it didn’t violate any laws but paid the settlement to avoid an expensive and lengthy legal fight. But the Department of Justice says the $440,000 that Cardinal gave to former Chief Dan Saleaumua to switch distributors at his Kansas City pharmacies amounted to a forbidden kickback.
Saleaumua’s company, Saleaumua Inc., is former owner of seven Medicine Shoppe pharmacies across the metro area. A lawsuit filed by Saleaumua and consultant Kevin Rinne accused Cardinal Health of providing an illegal kickback. The two men will share $760,000 under whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act.
