According to court documents and evidence presented during the trial, a federal jury convicted four pharmacy owners on charges of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and wire fraud. The convictions were announced yesterday and are linked to fraudulent activities that caused over $13 million in losses to Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
The defendants, Raef Hamaed of Maricopa County, Arizona; Kindy Ghussin of Greene County, Ohio; Ali Abdelrazzaq of Macomb County, Michigan; and Tarek Fakhuri of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, are all licensed pharmacists. They were found guilty of submitting false claims for prescription medications never dispensed at their pharmacies in Michigan and Ohio.
Abdelrazzaq and Fakhuri face additional charges, with Abdelrazzaq convicted of two counts of healthcare fraud and Fakhuri convicted of one count of healthcare fraud. The four pharmacists now await sentencing hearings, which will be scheduled at a later date.
Each defendant faces significant prison time. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, while the health care fraud counts carry up to 10 years for each conviction. Sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge, who will consider U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation was led by the FBI’s Detroit Field Office and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, along with FBI Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson and HHS-OIG Special Agent in Charge Mario Pinto, made the announcement.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Claire Sobczak, Kelly M. Warner, and S. Babu Kaza from the Justice Department’s Criminal Division Fraud Section.
