A pharmacist, doctor and pharmacy technician were charged in an Indictment for their alleged involvement in a healthcare fraud scheme exceeding $7 million, diverting costly "specialty" prescription drugs. The charges were announced by various law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration, according to an Aug. 15 news release.
“These licensed health care professionals are alleged to have defrauded Medicare and private insurers of millions of dollars and lined their own pockets with funds meant to provide essential services to seniors and disabled individuals,” U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said in the release. “My office is committed to prosecuting any medical professional who attempts to exploit taxpayer-funded programs or private insurers."
Samer N. Youssef, 56, of Troy, Mich., and Indian Rocks Beach, Fla.; Dr. Daoud Faraj, 52, of Dearborn, Mich.; and Houda Bazzi, 34, of Dearborn, Mich., and Indian Rocks Beach, Fla., are accused of conspiring to commit health care fraud by obtaining medically unnecessary prescriptions for specialty drugs and billing Medicare and Blue Care Network for them, the release reported.
The charges brought against Youssef, Faraj and Bazzi encompass one count of healthcare fraud conspiracy and 15 counts of healthcare fraud, along with aiding and abetting. Additionally, Youssef faces 12 counts of money laundering, according to the release.
The Indictment revealed that, beginning in 2016 and continuing until 2021, Youssef, a licensed pharmacist, collaborated with others to identify expensive "specialty" drugs that he could divert and resell. These "specialty" drugs, designed to address less common medical conditions or possessing unique attributes, are typically dispensed through specialty pharmacies via mail or courier, distinct from regular retail pharmacies, the release said.
Some of these specialty drugs cited in the indictment were intended for the treatment of cystic fibrosis and relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, according to the release.
Youssef worked in tandem with physicians in Southeast Michigan, including Faraj, to create medically unnecessary prescriptions for the specialty drugs he sought. Faraj composed these unnecessary prescriptions under the names of "patients" who were individuals known to Youssef, Bazzi or Faraj, including Medicare beneficiaries, and even under the names of Youssef and Bazzi themselves, both of whom were beneficiaries of Blue Care Network, the release reported.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison. Participating in the announcement were Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Devin J. Kowalski, Special Agent in Charge Mario Pinto of the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, Special Agent in Charge Angie M. Salazar of Homeland Security Investigations and Special Agent in Charge Orville Green of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the release said.
