Pharmacist Robert Courtney released to home confinement

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - After 22 years in federal prison, Kansas City pharmacist Robert Courtney is out of prison, released from a Colorado prison to home confinement.

It marks a stunning turn of events for thousands of families who trusted him to help their loved ones in their treatments. Courtney diluted their medicine for money and in 2002, admitted to diluting the medications of more than 4,200 patients, starting in 1992.

Courtney pleaded guilty to charges of tampering with medicine. He was expected to serve 30 years in prison but was released on July 31, 2024 — eight years early.

Victim notification releases that families have shared with KCTV5 showed he will head to the Springfield, Missouri, area.

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As of 3 p.m. on Wednesday, the Federal Bureau of Prisons website still showed him as being in a low-security prison in Colorado. When KCTV5 asked about Courtney’s imprisonment status, the Board of Prisons, citing security concerns, said it could not confirm if it had happened or when it might. But early Thursday morning, Aug. 1, the federal bookings system where Courtney was listed as an inmate shows he is no longer in custody.

In the recent documentary “Diluted,” KCTV5 visited with several family members of Courtney’s victims, investigators, and lawyers who worked on the case more than 20 years ago.

Now-retired FBI agent Melisa Osborne, who was also a pharmacist, led the questioning.

“He really never thought that he would be caught,” said Osborne. “I think his only remorse is that he was caught.”

Families relayed that they were told Courtney was released because of the First Step Act — signed into law in 2018. The law was intended to allow non-violent offenders to earn time credits toward pre-release custody.

Courtney was convicted of tampering with medicine, but many families still believe he committed violent acts and are outraged that he’s being released to home confinement.

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“I believe he’s a murderer,” said Santana Commings, the daughter of one of Courtney’s patients. “Why can’t he just serve his time?”

Many are hoping this is not the end of the Robert Courtney story. Mike Ketchmark, an attorney who represented hundreds of families in civil cases, said he believes murder charges are appropriate. He described Courtney as “evil.”

“There are some crimes that are wrong and so, so heinous, whether they’re violent or not, that a person should never get out,” Ketchmark said. “And this is one of them. I’m calling upon the system to find a solution because he belongs in prison.”

For more coverage on our “Diluted” series and the story of Robert Courtney, click here.

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