Marlboro Pharmacist Charged With Healthcare Fraud

MARLBORO TOWNSHIP, NJ — A Marlboro, New Jersey, man was charged Wednesday for his role in a conspiracy to falsely bill public and private insurance providers for medications that were never dispensed to patients, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Ruben Sevumyants, 34, is charged by criminal complaint with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. He appeared Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Dickson in Newark federal court and was released on $100,000 bond.

According to the complaint, from June 2014 through Sept. 11, 2017, Sevumyants worked as the operations manager for a specialty pharmacy in Union City, New Jersey. While employed at the pharmacy, Sevumyants allegedly forged documents and submitted false bills to Medicare, Medicaid, and other payors for medications that were never actually dispensed to patients.

When health insurance providers, such as Amerihealth Caritas and Connecticut Medicaid, questioned the specialty pharmacy and Sevumyants about charges for medications that patients never received, Sevumyants allegedly forged Federal Express shipping records to make it appear that the medications were shipped to the patients.

Based on billing and shipping records, the specialty pharmacy received over $1.5 million from health insurance providers for prescriptions that were never actually dispensed to patients.

The count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.

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