ST JOHNS, Fla. — A St. Johns County man accused of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and money laundering has been granted a new trial by a federal judge, records show. He is now asking for the case to be dismissed, nearly three years after his original trial.
Scott Balotin was previously found guilty of conspiracy and illegal monetary transactions. The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida announced his conviction on Oct. 20, 2021. After he was granted a new trial, he is no longer considered guilty.
The prosecution said at the time that Balotin and his codefendant, Thomas Jones, profited off selling compounded medication to military families who use insurance provider Tricare.
Balotin owned a marketing firm called Casepark, through which the prosecution said he marketed the medicines, targeting beneficiaries of Tricare. The prosecution said Casepark pocketed 55% of each claim paid by a health care benefit program to a pharmacy that filled each prescription.
Authorities said the creams had very high reimbursement rates, ranging from approximately $4,000 to $17,000, for a one-month supply.
On Oct. 16, 2023, Balotin's attorney filed a motion requesting a new trial, saying the prosecution disclosed new evidence that the defendants previously did not know about.
On Oct. 31, 2023, a federal judge agreed to grant Balotin a new trial based on this information.
At this time, Balotin's previous conviction is vacated, and he is no longer considered proven guilty.
He has filed a motion to dismiss the case, saying there is prejudice in the case causing "outrageous prosecutorial misconduct." He said that a new trial will not fix this and that every prosecutor assigned to the case has shown the same habits. The prosecution has asked for a deadline of October 11 to investigate the facts in this motion and prepare their case.
