Nieves Suarez, a 48-year-old Miami resident, has been convicted of owning and operating a fraudulent community retail pharmacy that bilked the Medicare Part D program out of $1.6 million.
According to evidence presented at a two-week jury trial, Suarez was the president, director, and registered agent of Golden Owl Pharmacy & Discount Corp., located at 1874 SW 57th Ave, Miami, Florida, from January 3, 2011, through November 30, 2012, and secretary from November 30, 2012 through March 10, 2015.
From November 2011 through August 2014, the Medicare Part D program reimbursed Golden Owl Pharmacy & Discount Corp. approximately $1.6 million. Audits revealed shortages totaling $915,784, indicating that Suarez’s pharmacy was not purchasing the necessary drugs to cover the reimbursement.
On October 1, 2018, Suarez was convicted of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and four substantive counts of healthcare fraud. He faces up to 20 years in prison for the conspiracy charge and 10 years in prison for each substantive healthcare fraud count of conviction.
Sentencing for Suarez is scheduled for December 12, 2018, 10:00 a.m., before U.S. District Judge Marcia G. Cooke (Case No. 18-20175-CR).
U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and HHS-OIG in this matter. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Clark.
This case serves as a reminder of the importance of holding those accountable for fraudulent activities that harm our community and compromise the integrity of our healthcare system.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Sex Crimes|Cybercrime|Public Corruption|Weapons|Human Trafficking|White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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