U.S. Department of Justice
UnitedStatesAttorney
NorthernDistrictof Illinois
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GaryS. Shapiro EverettMcKinleyDirksenUnitedStatesCourthouse
UnitedStatesAttorney219SouthDearbornStreet,5thFloor
HAMMOND,Ind.-Asuspendedphysician whoownedweightlossclinicsinnorthwest IndianaandsouthsuburbanChicagowassentencedtotwoyearsinfederalprisonforillegally dispensingmillionsofpillscontainingamphetamine-basedcontrolledsubstancestopatients,and heandhiswifewerealsosentencedforfederalincometaxevasionrelatingtotheiroperationof theclinics.Thedefendants,DR.RAKESHANANDandMEENAANAND,whoownedand managedDoctorsWeightLossClinicsinMerrillville, Ind.,andTinleyParkandOrlandParkin Illinois, werealsoordered topay$745,872inrestitution totheIRSfromnearly$5.2million that was seizedfromthemandorderedforfeited.
Rakesh Anand, 57,a suspendedphysicianinIllinoisandwhowasalsolicensedinIndiana, andhiswife,MeenaAnand,53,bothofTinleyPark,weresentenced yesterday byU.S.District JudgeJosephS.VanBokkeleninFederalCourtinHammondafterbothdefendantspleadedguilty inJanuary. TheU.S.Attorney’sOfficeinChicagoishandlingtheprosecutionintheNorthern DistrictofIndiana.JudgeVanBokkelenfinedRakeshAnand$750,000andorderedhim tobegin
serving histwo-yearsentenceonAug.30.MeenaAnandwasfined$100,000andorderedto beginservingher30-daysentenceon Sept.3.
Inadditiontothefines,forfeiture,andrestitution, theAnandsremaincivillyliabletothe InternalRevenueServiceforanyandallbacktaxesandacivilfraudpenaltyofupto75percent of theunderpaymentplusinterest.
TheAnandshadagreed,andthejudgeorderedthem,topayrestitution of$745,872tothe IRSfortaxestheyowedonnearly $2millionofunreportedincomebetween2005and2008. The restitutionistobepaidfromfundsfrozeninabrokerageaccountwhentheAnandswereindicted inAugust2011. Inaddition,theyagreedtoforfeitmorethan$4.45millioninadditionalfunds thatwerefrozenorseizedduringtheinvestigation,bringingtonearly$5.2millionthetotal amountof funds beingappliedtoforfeitureandrestitution.
Rakesh Anand admittedthatbetweenJanuary2002andFebruary2010,heandanother physician, Dr.DineshSaraiya,purchased anddispensedmorethan1millionpillscontaining Phendimetrazine,aScheduleIIIcontrolledsubstance,andmorethan3millionpillscontaining Phentermine,aScheduleIVcontrolledsubstance.TheAnandsgrossedmorethan$5million fromtheiroperationof thethreeweightloss clinics.
(Saraiya,75,ofTinleyPark,cooperated inthecaseandpleadedguiltytoconspiracy to distributecontrolledsubstances. Heisscheduled tobesentenced onJuly30inFederalCourtin Chicago.)
Accordingto court records,between2002 and February2010, RakeshAnand hired Saraiya,whoagreedwithhimtoillegallydispensetheamphetamine-basedcontrolledsubstances asweightlossmedicationstopatientswithoutperformingphysicalexaminationsoranymedical
tests, andwithoutreviewingpatients’records, obtaining acomplete medicalhistory,orproviding anysubsequentmonitoring. Inreturn,RakeshAnandpaidSaraiyabasedonhowmanypatients hesawandhowmanypillshedispensedtopatientsonadailybasis.Indispensing the medications,RakeshAnandandSaraiyafailedtodeterminewhetherpatientshadfirstmadea reasonableefforttoloseweightthroughdietandexercise, aprerequisite toprescribingcontrolled substancesforweightloss. Insomeinstances,RakeshAnandemployedclerkstodispensethe controlledsubstanceseventhoughhewas notpresentandhadnotconsultedwiththem.
Duringthecourseoftheinvestigation, severalundercoverlawenforcementagents, including twowithslightbuildsandbodymassindexeswellbelowtheobesitylevel,purchased controlledsubstancesattheclinicswithoutanyof theappropriatemedicalprotocols.
The sentences were announcedby Gary S. Shapiro,United States Attorney for the NorthernDistrictofIllinois.Theinvestigation wasconductedbytheFederalBureauof Investigation, theDrugEnforcementAdministration,theInternalRevenueServiceCriminal InvestigationDivision,theFood andDrug AdministrationandtheIndianaStatePolice.
Thegovernment isbeingrepresentedbyAssistantU.S.AttorneysMatthewSchneider, DianeBerkowitz,andOrest Szewciw.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
