The U.S. Justice Department has blocked Thursday’s scheduled prison release of convicted felon Robert Courtney. The Kansas City pharmacist was sent to federal prison for diluting as many as 98,000 prescriptions, including cancer treatment meds, and possibly drugs for AIDS, infertility, and multiple sclerosis. Governor Parson wrote to U.S. Attorney General William Barr asking Barr to stop Courtney’s release.
Courtney, who was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison, was scheduled for release seven years early due to COVID-19 fears. A bipartisan group of Missouri’s Congressional members, made up of U.S. Senators Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley and Congressman Emanuel Cleaver and Sam Graves, also requested Barr to block Courtney’s release.