Four pharmacies owners were found guilty by a federal jury of conspiring to commit wire fraud and health care fraud.
The defendants, who are from Arizona, Ohio, Michigan, and Canada, were charged with invoicing Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Medicare, and Medicaid for prescription drugs that they never actually filled.
The healthcare programs lost more than $13 million as a result of the scheme, which implicated pharmacies in Ohio and Michigan.
Court records and evidence presented during the trial reveal that four licensed pharmacists—Alec Abdelrazzaq of Macomb County, Michigan; Tarek Fakhuri of Windsor, Ontario, Canada; Kindy Ghussin of Greene County, Ohio; and Raef Hamaed of Maricopa County, Arizona—billed Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for prescription drugs they did not dispense at pharmacies they owned in Michigan and Ohio.
Together, the defendants cost Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan more than $13 million.
The charges of conspiracy to conduct wire fraud and health care fraud were found against Hamaed, Ghussin, Abdelrazzaq, and Fakhuri. Fakhuri was found guilty of one count of healthcare fraud, while Abdelrazzaq was found guilty of two counts. Hearings for sentencing will take place later.
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The maximum sentence for Hamaed, Ghussin, Abdelrazzaq, and Fakhuri is 20 years in jail for the conspiracy charge and 10 years for each act of healthcare fraud.
The United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory considerations will be taken into account by a federal district court judge before determining any punishment.
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