Two people have been sentenced in Florida for their role in a fraud scheme that netted them a total of around $351,358.14., according to the U.S. government. The scheme lasted more than three years and involved a pharmacist and a 74-year-old woman; there may have been others involved as well, but those were the main two. The two defendants have the last name..
In order to get the money, the pair conspired with each other and sent in Medicare claims from the pharmacy that the man worked at, claiming that they deserved money for prescriptions that had been filled. However, an investigation showed that those prescriptions were not actually filled, so they were simply pocketing the money.
Many times, they claimed money for prescriptions that licensed doctors had not even written, forging those prescriptions. They also filed prescriptions in the name of people who had already passed away and claimed the money for them.
As a result of their crimes, the pharmacist is going to have to give up his certification, costing him his job. Additionally, the pair have to pay back the $351,358.14 that they gained. Finally, the pharmacist is going to spend two years behind bars, in a federal prison, and the woman is going to be on probation for three years. She will be confined to her home for 120 days.
When allegations of Medicare fraud are made, the government does have to prove that the fraud was real and not simply an error. Those who face these charges deserve their day in court to fight them if they feel the charges were made in error.
Source: The United States Attorneys Office-Middle District of Florida, “Two Sentenced In Connection With Sunshine Pharmacy Health Care Fraud” No author given, Mar. 31, 2014
