15 Philadelphians Charged In Federal Health Care Fraud Crackdown

PHILADELPHIA — Fifteen Philadelphia residents are facing charges following investigations into health care fraud by federal authorities and are accused of illegally distributing nearly 710,000 opioid pills, officials said.

United States Attorney William M. McSwain and other Justice Department officials announced Thursday the results of a coordinated health care fraud enforcement action across seven federal districts involving more than $800 million in loss and the distribution of over 3.25 million opioid pills in “pill mill” clinics.

Forty-eight people have been charged by indictment as part of the major enforcement, and 15 are from Philadelphia.

According to authorities, Asif Kundi, 31, Atif Mahmood Malik, 34, and Viktoriya Makarova, 33, all of Philadelphia, have been charged with one count of health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Neil K. Anand, M.D., 42, of Bensalem, was also charged with one count of health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances

Anand is a medical doctor, Kundi and Malik are unlicensed foreign medical school graduates, and Makarova is a nurse practitioner.

The charges stem from their alleged submission of false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, health plans provided by the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and Independence Blue Cross (IBC).

Authorities said the claims allegedly were for "Goody Bags," which were stuffed with medically unnecessary prescription medications that were dispensed by non-pharmacy dispensing sites owned by Anand.

In total, Medicare, OPM, and IBC allegedly paid over $4 million for the Goody Bags. Patients were allegedly required to take the "Goody Bags" to get prescriptions for controlled substances.

According to the indictment, Malik and Kundi wrote prescriptions for controlled substances using blank prescriptions that were pre-signed by Anand or Makarova.

Anand and Makarova provided more than 10,000 prescriptions for Schedule II controlled substances, of which over 7,000 were for oxycodone, for a staggering total of over 634,000 oxycodone tablets distributed from this scheme.

Additionally, a dozen indictments were unsealed Wednesday involving charges against 12 people for allegedly possessing oxycodone with intent to distribute.

Those 12 people are Lamar Dillard, 37; Jermaine Grant, 29; Katrina Tucker, 32; Maurice Bertrand, 31; Courtney Brockenborough, 34; Alan Alexander Harrison, 29; Abdullah Howard, 23; Jonathan Metellus, 32; Clinton Monte Bullock, 29; Crystal Coleman, 31; Marques Russell, 35; and Joseph Michael Simmons, all of Philadelphia.

The 12 are accused by federal authorities of giving forged prescriptions for oxycodone to various pharmacies outside Philadelphia, to get oxycodone to distribute to others between September 2016 through June 2019.

They allegedly drove to pharmacies in Marcus Hook, Drexel Hill, and Kennett Square, and a Mount Laurel, New Jersey pharmacy to fill the forged prescriptions, authorities said.

The defendants are charged with at least two, and up to 32, counts of possession with intent to distribute oxycodone and with receiving between 6,300 milligrams and 135,000 milligrams of oxycodone, which is about 75,000 oxycodone pills.

Federal authorities announced Thursday the coordinated health care fraud enforcement action across seven federal districts involving more than $800 million in loss and the distribution of over 3.25 million opioid pills in “pill mill” clinics.

Authorities said a doctor from Delaware County has also been charged as part of the effort.

The takedown includes new alleges more than $160 million in fraudulent claims were submitted.

Of the 48 defendants, 15 are doctors or medical professionals, and at least 24 defendants were charged for their roles in diverting opioids.

In the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 17 defendants — five of whom are doctors or medical professionals — were arrested, and the conduct involved submission of more than $4 million in fraudulent claims and distribution of approximately 738,000 oxycodone pills to the streets of this District.