#Middlebury #Veterans
A federal jury in Texas spent a week finding a pharmacist guilty of all manner of charges. The 75-year-old Houston pharmacist dubbed the “Compound King” had owned Piney Point Pharmacy. He was convicted on all charges: conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks, conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, as well as 11 counts of health care fraud and three counts of wire fraud, beginning in September 2009.
Sounds like this pharmacist had been a busy boy. For his efforts, he’d nabbed $21.8 million … although maybe he’d had to split some of that with his partner in crime, Anoop Kumar Chaturvedi, 48, a legal permanent resident from India.
The pharmacist and his buddy cooked up a scheme to bill the government and health care programs for compounded gels and creams they sent to injured state and federal employees through fake prescriptions. They did this through a front, Wellington Advisors, and got the cash from billing the Department of Labor Workers Comp and Federal Employees Compensation Act programs. The pharmacist claimed the illegal kickbacks were actually “marketing” expenses. Chaturvedi allegedly wrote out hundreds of prescriptions at a time, which the pharmacy filled.
The investigation, started in early 2018, was conducted by a large group of Offices of Inspectors General of various departments, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, the IRS, the Department of Labor and the U.S. Post Office.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 27 for the pharmacist. He could get 20 years, plus 10 years, plus five years for all the charges. His wife, a real estate agent, hasn’t been sentenced yet.
Meanwhile, Chaturvedi is still on the run. The government wants to find him. If you know of his whereabouts, call the OIG of the U.S. Post Office at 1-888-877-7644. He’s presumed innocent … for now.
© 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.
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