South Florida pharmacist Stephen Chalker was sentenced to six and half years in prison for his role in a compounding pharmacy scheme that defrauded Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE of millions of dollars.

The licensed pharmacist-in-charge of Pop’s Pharmacy in Deerfield Beach, Chalker defrauded the healthcare programs of nearly $5 million by submitting false claims for compounded drugs and other prescription meds that were unnecessary or never provided to patients.

Chalker and his co-conspirators operated a nationwide telemarketing and telemedicine scheme that did not provide actual patient care and had no patient-prescriber relationships.