Columbus woman pleads guilty to conspiracy, health care fraud in federal court

A former employee at a Columbus medical clinic pleaded guilty today in federal court to one count of conspiracy and three counts of health care fraud for her involvement in a conspiracy to defraud health insurance companies.

Robin Gary Lowry, 49, was brought up on federal charges in Alabama after the pharmaceutical company for which she worked, Global Compounding Pharmacy, defrauded Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama and one of its prescription drug administrators out of more than $13 million.

Though no sentencing date has been set, Lowry's plea agreement calls for her to forfeit more than $272,000.

Lowry is a former employee of both Global Compounding Pharmacy and a Columbus-based medical clinic owned by her husband, Dr. Slater Lowry. According to federal documents filed with the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Northern District of Alabama, between October 2014 and November 2015, Lowry wrote unnecessary prescriptions -- sometimes by forging signatures -- for Global's pain relief medications and other products and submitted fraudulent claims to Blue Cross Blue Shield.

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