U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani | U.S. Department of Justice
A physician from Edinburg, Texas, and his son have admitted to participating in a scheme involving kickbacks for prescription referrals. U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani announced that 75-year-old Dr. Tajul Shams Chowdhury and his 43-year-old son, Mohammad Imtiaz Chowdhury, pleaded guilty to the charges.
Dr. Chowdhury operated the Center for Pain Management in Edinburg, where he referred prescriptions for expensive compound drugs to local pharmacies. In return, kickback payments were made to his son, who worked as a marketer for one of these pharmacies.
The court documents reveal that Mohammad Chowdhury received $6.6 million through this arrangement.
Both individuals are allowed to remain free on bond until their sentencing hearing set for March 25 before Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane.
Multiple agencies participated in the investigation: the U.S. Postal Service – Office of Inspector General (OIG), Department of Labor – OIG, FBI, Department of Defense – Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Department of Veteran Affairs – OIG, Department of Health and Human Services - OIG, and Texas Health and Human Services - OIG. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Swartz is handling the prosecution.
