He is 56 years old today. The pharmacist will be 60 when he gets out of federal prison. Instead of being in the home stretch of his career, he is serving a 52-month stretch in prison for health care fraud, illegal distribution of prescription drugs and money laundering.
According to court documents filed far from us in New York, the Michigan pharmacist admitted to illegally distributing more than 200,000 doses of controlled substances and fraudulently obtaining at least $1.6 million from Medicare.
The pharmacist owns two pharmacies in Detroit.
Among his admissions: he laundered $150,000 in one transaction.
He also acknowledged that he filled prescriptions for controlled substances for runners who brought him up to 25 prescriptions per visit.
According to an article about his recent sentencing after he pleaded guilty late last year, the drugs involved were oxycontin, oxycodone and hydrocodone.
In addition to his four and four months in federal prison, he faces state action against his license. Federal officials also seized $1.4 million from an investment account.
“Pharmacists who deviate from their professional obligations in pursuit of individual financial gain will be held accountable,” said a special agent with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Situations similar to this one can often be avoided with the help of New York City attorneys experienced in helping pharmacists with health care laws compliance, including the Stark law, Anti-Kickback Statute and others.
Rivas Goldstein LLP also assists clients with billing and reimbursement matters, audit defense, HIPPA compliance, initial licensing and Medicare Part D compliance. Contact us for more information.