Bruce E. Franken, Medicaid Health Care Fraud, OH, 2023

Ohio pharmacist Bruce E. Franken, 52, of Salem, has been charged with health care fraud for allegedly billing Medicaid for prescriptions he was legally barred from filling, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio.

Franken was excluded from all federal health care programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, following his felony conviction in 2003. Despite this exclusion, Franken reportedly filled prescriptions for Medicaid recipients at J.H. Lease Pharmacy, 229 North Ellsworth Avenue, Salem, Ohio, between May 14, 2009, and July 14, 2011.

The investigation revealed that Franken’s unauthorized actions resulted in $301,550 worth of fraudulent claims being paid to Medicaid. If convicted, Franken could face a sentence determined by the court based on factors including his prior criminal record and the nature of the violation, but it will not exceed the statutory maximum.

“This defendant was specifically barred from billing programs such as Medicaid because of his criminal past,” said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. “Our office will continue to stamp out waste, fraud, and abuse of all federal programs, particularly those that affect our health care system.”

The case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Chelsea Rice and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Constance Nearhood. The charges against Franken are only accusations, and he is entitled to a fair trial where the government must prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.