#Middlebury #Veterans
Most of us are locked down due to the coronavirus, but apparently the wheels of justice keep on turning. A few months ago I wrote about a Houston pharmacist, his wife and their pal who scammed the government out of $21 million in fake pharmacy orders. The guy and his wife have now been sentenced.
Their scam was to whip up medicinal creams and gels they would mail to injured state and federal employees, then send the bill to the government after their pal created fake prescriptions. The Feds got them for a laundry list of charges, including conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks, 11 counts of health care fraud and three counts of wire fraud dating back to 2009. Many government departments were involved, including the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The pharmacist, 75, won’t see daylight again for 10 years, and he has to pay back $12 million in cash and forfeiture. The wife, however, is somehow getting off light. She’s 68 and has to pay back pay $950,000 in restitution and forfeiture, but will serve a mere 30 days in home confinement.
How does that work, one wonders. Due to the pandemic, nobody is going out. Thirty days at home doesn’t seem like much punishment since we’re all doing it anyway. She pleaded guilty to one charge. Does that play into it, that she admitted her role? And did he get 10 years because he argued against the charges and tried to pass off the medications he was sending out as marketing materials. Then again, maybe her portion of the “forfeiture” had to do with giving up that (very) upscale house in Houston.
Their accomplice is still on the lam. Anoop Kumar Chaturvedi, 48, is a legal permanent resident from India. The government wants to find him. If you know where he is, call the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Post Office at 1-888-877-7644.
© 2020 King Features Synd. Inc.
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