Twin brothers who owned a West Orange, NJ pharmacy were recently sentenced to three-and-a-half years in federal prison for stealing at least $1.5 million from customers, insurance companies, and Medicaid.
The 70-year-old defendants, who resided in Florham Park, NJ, had already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. Their sentences were then handed down in the U.S. District Court in Newark, New Jersey.
When the defendants pleaded guilty, they agreed to pay $1.5 million – the amount stolen – in restitution.
According to U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman, the defendants conspired with a third person to defraud various entities from their base of operations, their pharmacy in West Orange.
Case documents and court statements indicated that one of the defendants’ schemes involved under-filling customers’ prescriptions so that they could overbill insurance companies and Medicaid. The men did this by using the pharmacy’s computer system.
Authorities also said that the defendants substituted generic drugs for brand-name drugs. The men billed the insurance companies and Medicaid for the full amount of the brand-name drugs and then pocketed the excess money.
The defendants also billed insurance companies and Medicaid for prescription refills that were never requested by customers.
Perhaps the most shocking act committed by the defendants was buying back unused prescription drugs from customers and then reselling the drugs to other customers.
To learn more about this case, access the NJ.com article entitled “Brothers Who Owned West Orange Pharmacy Sentenced for Fraud.“
If you are facing fraud charges in New Jersey, contact Morristown NJ criminal defense attorney Travis J. Tormey for a free consultation about your case.