Four individuals involved in separate but interconnected cases have pleaded guilty to their roles in a kickback scheme related to toxicology tests, as announced by U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Leigha Simonton.
The defendants include Mark Rubin, 58, Renee Field, 44, Kelly Nelson, 52, and Carlos Hornedo, 61, who faced felony charges filed in December 2023. Rubin and Hornedo recently pleaded guilty on January 17th and January 10th, respectively, to one count of conspiracy to solicit and receive illegal kickbacks. On December 13th, Field and Nelson also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to pay and receive healthcare kickbacks. Each defendant faces a maximum penalty of up to five years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and potential restitution orders.
According to court documents, Field, the owner and Clinical Director of RK Clinical Solutions, LLC, and Nelson, co-owner of RK, offered financial incentives to medical providers to direct toxicology tests to RK, disguising these incentives as legitimate business transactions.
Pain management doctor Mark Rubin agreed to funnel the majority of his toxicology orders to RK in exchange for kickbacks, receiving over $330,000. Dr. Rubin's kickbacks were structured as medical advisor agreements, where he was compensated for theoretical advisory services without sufficient justification.
Similarly, medical doctor Carlos Hornedo agreed to order specific toxicology tests for his patients, directing them to Unified Laboratory Services, LLC, and Spectrum Diagnostic Laboratory, LLC, in exchange for kickbacks. Dr. Hornedo's actions led to billings exceeding $4.1 million to federal health care programs, with him receiving approximately $412,000 in kickbacks, $45,000 in lease payments, $109,000 in medical advisor payments, and ownership shares in Reliable Labs, LLC.
The investigation into these cases involves the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), and the Veterans Affairs’ Office of Inspector General, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Investigations.
