Four Pharmacists Sentenced for Roles in $13M Medicare, Medicaid, and Private Insurer Fraud Conspiracy
Four pharmacy owners have been sentenced for their roles in a conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud in Arizona. The scheme involved billing Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for prescription medications that they did not dispense at five pharmacies they owned and operated.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Raef Hamaed, Tarek Fakhuri, Kindy Ghussin, and Ali Abdelrazzaq collectively caused over $13 million of loss to Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
Hamaed, a pharmacist from Maricopa County, Arizona, was sentenced on January 8 to 10 years in prison. Fakhuri, a pharmacist from Windsor, Ontario, Canada, was sentenced on January 13 to seven years in prison. Ghussin, a pharmacist from Greene County, Ohio, was sentenced today to five years and five months in prison. Abdelrazzaq, a pharmacist from Macomb County, Michigan, was sentenced on January 15 to two years in prison.
The defendants were convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud. Fakhuri was also convicted of one count of health care fraud. The scheme involved five pharmacies: Eastside Pharmacy, Harper Drugs, and Wayne Campus Pharmacy in Michigan, and Heartland Pharmacy and Heartland Pharmacy 2 in Ohio.
The FBI Detroit Field Office and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) investigated the case. Trial Attorneys Claire Sobczak Pacelli, Kelly M. Warner, and S. Babu Kaza of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
The Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, led by the Fraud Section, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers over $30 billion since March 2007.
Key Facts
- State: Arizona
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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