Two former top executives at Medoc Health Services who used local doctors and pharmacies to get illegal kickbacks received their sentences in a Dallas federal courtroom Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr sentenced former Medoc chief executive Kevin Kuykendall to three years in prison. He is ordered to report to federal prison by April 29. Sabrina Kuykendall, former vice president of finance and Kevin Kuykendall’s wife, received a three-year term of probation.
The Kuykendalls pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to solicit and receive kickbacks, which carried a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Kevin Kuykendall was involved in all aspects of the scheme, Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna Max said, and was the leader in many instances. Sabrina Kuykendall, on the other hand, was the least culpable, Max said.
Their guilty pleas led to other defendants’ pleas, said defense lawyer David Gerger of Houston.
The couple was ordered to pay more than $4 million in restitution. They already paid $2 million after selling their house, a point the judge said he took into consideration. Speaking to each individually, Judge Starr said he believed they would pay the remainder of their debt.
“I hope you’re a man of your word today,” Judge Starr said to Kevin Kuykendall.
The Kuykendalls were also charged with multiple counts of soliciting and receiving kickbacks, but the judge dismissed the remaining counts at the prosecutor’s request.
Kevin and Sabrina Kuykendall expressed regret over their crimes when addressing the judge directly. Both spoke of the impact on their families.
Sabrina Kuykendall took long pauses and, at times, was emotional as she apologized for the “heartache, pain and hurt” she caused her family and friends.
“No amount of money is worth” the betrayal, she said from the lawyer’s table. Her attorney Rose Romero was beside her. She pledged to live “a life of honesty and integrity.”
Some of the roughly two dozen supporters cried softly in the gallery as Sabrina Kuykendall spoke.
In his address to the judge, Kevin Kuykendall committed to engaging in prison rehabilitation programs. Flanked by lawyers Michael Uhl of Dallas and Gerger, Kevin Kuykendall vowed to “rectify (his) transgressions” and make “positive contributions to society” after serving his time.
A poignant moment came from the judge at the conclusion of the hearing. He asked the court reporter to end the recording before addressing the Kuykendalls’ two adult sons who sat in the gallery. The letters they submitted to the judge on their parents’ behalf were especially impactful, Judge Starr said. They resonated with him.
“My dad is a felon,” Judge Starr said. “My dad is my hero.”
Judge Starr, who did not disclose what felony his father committed, said Kevin and Sabrina Kuykendall’s crimes don’t preclude their sons — or themselves — from going on to do good things.
“You can power through,” Judge Starr said. The young men nodded in response.
“That was nice,” one of the family’s supporters whispered from the pew.