The owner of Brooklyn Chemists in Gravesend, Brooklyn and Lucky Care Pharmacy in Flushing, Queens was recently indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States by paying kickbacks and bribes in connection with the provision of health care services, and unlawfully spending the proceeds of the fraud. The U.S. Department of Justice issued a press release on the indictment on March 17.
The indictment alleges that the defendant paid bribes and kickbacks to Medicare and Medicaid patients in exchange for the ability to bill their insurance for expensive prescriptions that were either never dispensed or not requested by the patients. In December 2020, the defendant wired nearly $100,000 from Lucky Care’s bank accounts to pay for a luxury car. After his arrest, investigators conducted a search of the defendant’s home and seized cash, luxury goods, and a 2020 Porsche Taycan worth over $250,000.
The charges in the indictment are only allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If convicted, he faces a maximum prison sentence of 10 years for conspiracy to commit health care fraud, five years for conspiracy to pay kickbacks and bribes, and 10 years for unlawfully spending the fraud proceeds.