Race Day Live A Michigan pharmacist was among four pharmacy owners sentenced in a fraud case that caused over $13 million in losses to Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced the sentencings, stating that the convicted individuals had been involved in a large-scale healthcare fraud scheme.
Ali Abdelrazzaq, a pharmacist from Macomb County, Michigan, was sentenced to two years in prison on January 15 for his role in the scheme. Three others also received prison sentences:
- Raef Hamaed from Maricopa County, Arizona, was sentenced to 10 years on January 8.
- Tarek Fakhuri from Windsor, Ontario, Canada, received a seven-year sentence on January 13.
- Kindy Ghussin from Greene County, Ohio, was sentenced to five years and five months on February 6.
A federal jury convicted the four on September 5 for conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and wire fraud, along with other related charges.
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According to court documents, the defendants billed Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for prescription drugs that were never dispensed.
They ran this scheme through five pharmacies: Eastside Pharmacy, Harper Drugs, and Wayne Campus Pharmacy in Michigan, as well as Heartland Pharmacy and Heartland Pharmacy 2 in Ohio.
Abdelrazzaq was specifically convicted for his involvement in the fraudulent activities at Wayne Campus Pharmacy.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Detroit Field Office and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. These agencies worked with the Justice Department’s Fraud Section to bring the case to court.
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