Pharmacist Pleads Guilty to Medicare Fraud

A pharmacist involved in a Medicare scheme has pleaded guilty to health care fraud.

Rouzbeh Javaherian, of Los Angeles, California, was accused of participating in a scheme to defraud the Medicare Part D program, according to the US Department of Justice (DOJ).

The 34-year-old pharmacist and owner of Westaid Pharmacy and Medical Supply paid illegal cash kickbacks to Medicare beneficiaries to persuade them to have their prescriptions filled at his pharmacy between 2008 and 2014.

Javaherian filled some of the prescriptions and also submitted false and fraudulent claims to Medicare Part D plan sponsors for prescriptions he did not fill, according to the DOJ.

As a result of his scheme, Javaherian is said to have garnered $644,060 in overpayments from Medicare.

He pleaded guilty to Medicare fraud on March 16, 2015, and his sentencing is expected to take place on June 1, 2015.

The pharmacist’s case was a focus of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which has cracked down on nearly 2100 defendants who have collectively charged the Medicare program more than $6.5 billion, according to the DOJ.