NYC pharmacists plead guilty to $10M in Medicaid thefts
New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman yesterday announced the culmination of a wide-ranging investigation into a group of New York City pharmacies that for years systematically bilked the state’s Medicaid program by submitting bills for drugs that were never dispensed to their patients.
Five owners or supervising pharmacists of four Bronx and one Manhattan pharmacy have pleaded guilty in Bronx Supreme Court to stealing a total of $9.9 million from Medicaid. Lead culprit Sanjay K. Patel stole the vast majority, $7.7 million, of the Medicaid funds and is facing jail time, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
“These five pharmacists were caught red handed and now they are being brought to justice,” Schneiderman said. “My office will track down those who steal from the public and continue to hold accountable those who use their positions as a vehicle to fleece New York’s taxpayers.”