Approximately two million dollars was stolen from Medicare and Medicaid by a physician from Las Vegas, who was found guilty of his role in the scheme.
An indictment was handed down against Dr. Eduardo Abellana for conspiring to commit health care fraud as well as conspiring to defraud the United States of America and earn kickbacks.
In consideration for monetary bribes provided by the owners of the pharmacy, the 75-year-old individual referred medically unnecessary prescriptions to City Drugs, a pharmacy located in Detroit, for patients whom he had not treated. The transactions were carried out in exchange for medically inappropriate prescriptions. Both Medicare and Medicaid suffered a loss of approximately two million dollars as a result of Abellana and his fellow accomplices.
A potential sentence of ten years in prison is imposed on him for the offense of conspiring to commit health care fraud, and he faces a maximum term of five years for the count of conspiring to defraud the United States and earn kickbacks. His sentencing is scheduled to take place on September 25.
The investigation into this matter included participation from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Justice, and the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services.