Florida Cancer Treatment Center to Pay $100 Million Penalty for committing Antitrust Crime

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Florida Cancer Specialists (FCS)
Credits: Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute/ Flicker

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute LLC (FCS) agreed to pay a criminal penalty of $100 million to resolve the charges filed against it.

FCS is one of the largest independent oncology groups in the United States. It is based in Fort Myers Florida.

The Justice Department sued FCS for allegedly conspiring to allocate medical and radiation treatments for cancer patients in Southwest Florida.

The DOJ alleged that FCS and a competing oncology group in Southwest Florida committed an illegal antitrust conspiracy. The two oncology groups entered into an agreement to not compete in providing chemotherapy and radiation treatments in Southwest Florida starting in early 1999 until at least 2016.

The illegal antitrust conspiracy allowed FCS to operate with minimal competition in Southwest Florida and limited valuable integrated care options and choices for cancer patients, according to the Justice Department.

FCS admitted its wrongdoing

FCS admitted to participating in an illegal antitrust conspiracy. The oncology group entered into a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the DOJ’s Antitrust Division to resolve the one-count felony charge against it.