Holmdel Man, A Pharmacy Owner, Pleads Guilty To Tax Evasion

HOLMDEL, NJ — A pharmacy owner who lives in Holmdel admitted Tuesday in federal court that he bribed doctors to use his pharmacy, and failed to pay taxes on $33.9 million in income, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Igor Fleyshmakher, 58, of Holmdel, pleaded guilty in Trenton federal court to tax evasion, and conspiring to violate the federal anti-kickback statute.

Each charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for June 22.

Fleyshmakher was the co-owner of Prime Aid Pharmacies, — now closed — which operated as “specialty pharmacies” out of locations in Union City, New Jersey and the Bronx, New York. They processed expensive medications used to treat various conditions, including Hepatitis C, Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

Fleyshmakher was a co-owner of Prime Aid in Union City.

He conspired with seven other individuals, say federal prosecutors, who have previously been charged or indicted: Samuel “Sam” Khaimov of Glen Head, New York; Ruben Sevumyants of Marlboro, New Jersey; Alex Fleyshmakher of Morganville, New Jersey; and Eduard “Eddy” Shtindler of Paramus, New Jersey. Shtindler has previously pleaded guilty for his role in a related kickback conspiracy and is pending sentencing.

Staring in 2010, in order to obtain a higher volume of prescriptions, Fleyshmakher, Khaimov, Sevumyants, Shtindler and other Prime Aid employees paid bribes to doctors and doctors’ employees to induce doctors’ office to steer prescriptions to Prime Aid. The bribes included expensive meals, designer bags, and payments by cash, check and wire transfers.

In addition, between 2012 and 2014, Fleyshmakher diverted a substantial amount of his Prime Aid income into a secret bank account that he opened and controlled, say the feds.

He concealed the account from the pharmacy’s tax preparers and did not report any of the funds he deposited into it on his personal income tax returns.

In total, he diverted $33.9 million of income into the secret account, all of which he failed to report to the IRS.

As a co-owner of the pharmacy, his conduct resulted in a $5.8 million tax loss to the IRS on his share of that income for tax years 2012 through 2014.

According to an earlier Asbury Park Press report, Fleyshmakher was listed as the owner of a 13,000-square-foot Winchester Lane mansion in Holmdel. The property was listed for sale in 2019, with an asking price of $6.9 million. The home has an indoor pool, billiard room, sauna, multiple entertainment rooms and a custom wine cellar. The estimated mortgage payment would be $27,000 a month.