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$26 Million TRICARE Scam Bought a Gold-Plated Cybertruck
A Texas mental health clinic owner has been convicted of defrauding the military’s health insurance program out of millions of dollars. Prosecutors say the money helped pay for luxury hotels, casino parties and a gold-plated Tesla Cybertruck worth more than $100,000.
Kevin Curry's gold-plated Tesla Cybertruck, purchased with his fraudulent proceeds.
For active-duty troops, veterans and military families, the money was supposed to pay for healthcare. Instead, prosecutors say it helped fund a luxury lifestyle.
Kevin D. Curry, 64, of Frisco, Texas, was convicted by a federal jury on September 24 after prosecutors accused him of running a sprawling healthcare fraud, kickback and money-laundering scheme through three mental health clinics in Texas and Florida. The Justice Department announced the conviction on September 25.
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Between September 2022 and December 2025, Curry operated Acuity TMS clinics in Plano and Fort Worth, Texas, and Emerald Coast TMS in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. The locations were close to major military communities, including Eglin Air Force Base, Hurlburt Field and Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth.
The clinics billed TRICARE more than $26 million for transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, therapy. According to prosecutors, some treatments were medically unnecessary, some were never provided and others involved patients who did not qualify.
TRICARE ultimately paid about $17 million.
Prosecutors said Curry went even further. He allegedly offered and paid more than $5.5 million in illegal kickbacks to persuade active-duty service members, veterans and their family members to agree to treatments. Employees were also directed to fabricate medical records, while Curry allegedly used doctors’ credentials without their knowledge to support fraudulent claims.
Then came the spending.
Federal prosecutors said Curry used some of the money for luxury hotel stays, a lavish casino-themed party and a gold-plated Tesla Cybertruck valued at more than $100,000. Federal authorities seized the Cybertruck in January along with other assets connected to the case.
The case became a joint investigation involving the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, FBI, Texas Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General.
The jury ultimately convicted Curry on three counts of healthcare fraud, three counts involving illegal healthcare kickbacks and three counts involving transactions with criminally derived property.
He has not yet been sentenced.
Curry faces a maximum of 10 years in federal prison on each of the nine counts, although his eventual sentence will be determined by a federal judge under federal sentencing rules.
The strange image of a gold Cybertruck may be what makes the case go viral. But behind it is a much more serious question: how did millions of dollars intended for the healthcare of America's military community end up financing luxury spending?
For the troops, veterans and families whose care was allegedly used to generate the money, the gold truck is more than an outrageous purchase. It is the most visible symbol of where the prosecutors say the money went.
Editor’s Note: Curry was convicted by a federal jury and is presumed innocent of any charges for which he was not convicted. The allegations described above are based on evidence presented at trial and statements from the U.S. Department of Justice. Curry is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date.
