PHILADELPHIA - Jermaine Hairston, 38, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was charged by indictment, filed yesterday, with health care fraud and aggravated identity theft, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger.
According to the indictment, the defendant obtained the identifying information of a practicing physician, and used it to call in prescriptions to pharmacies in Philadelphia, in the names of various Medical Assistance recipients. Hairston would pick up the prescription medication, generating a claim to the patient’s health insurance, and then sell the medication for cash.
If convicted, Hairston faces a maximum possible sentence of 132 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of two years, three years of supervised release, a $3.5 million fine and a $1,400 special assessment.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigation, and the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth Abrams.
An Indictment, Information or Criminal Complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, EASTERN DISTRICTof PENNSYLVANIA
Suite 1250, 615 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
PATTY HARTMAN, Media Contact, 215-861-8525
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
