A recent case in Phoenix (AZFamily) saw the sentencing of a pharmacy owner and three accomplices involved in a massive $13 million health care and wire fraud scheme.
Raef Hamaed received the harshest punishment when he was sentenced on January 8th to 10 years in prison for his involvement. Prosecutors mentioned that he resided in the Valley, but did not disclose the specific city.
Tarek Fakhuri from Ontario, Canada, was sentenced to seven years in prison for his involvement in the conspiracy. Ali Abdelrazzaq of Macomb County, Michigan, received a two-year prison sentence, while Kindy Ghus from Greene County, Ohio, was sentenced to five years and five months behind bars.
Four individuals were accused by prosecutors of fraudulently charging Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for prescribed medication that was not available at their five owned pharmacies.
Their actions resulted in more than $13 million in losses for their health care insurers.
All four individuals were convicted by a federal jury on September 5th for conspiring to commit health care fraud and wire fraud. Additionally, Fakhuri was found guilty of one count of health care fraud.
Hamaed received the toughest sentence because he was involved in all five pharmacies. Fakhuri and Fakhuri, on the other hand, had their hands in three pharmacies, while Abdelrazzaq was involved in just one.