The wife of a Missouri pharmacist who pled guilty in February to twenty Federal counts of drug tampering agreed to pay $1.85 million to patients who fell victim to her husband's fraud. Robert Courtney initially admitted to diluting the chemotherapy drugs Taxol and Gemzar in order to save money. The pharmacist reportedly owed over $600,000 in taxes and nearly $300,000 to a local church. Investigators now believe, though, that Courtney diluted over 70 types of medications involving over 100,000 prescriptions. Over 4,000 patients may have been affected by the scheme.

Attorneys representing his wife, Laura Courtney, say she agreed to the settlement in order to "avoid being entangles in these cases." Plaintiff attorneys say her husband transferred large sums of money to her before authorities froze his assets. To date, Courtney, who is still awaiting sentencing, faces a possible fine of $15 million and more than 300 fraud and wrongful death lawsuits.