Four people have been sentenced for their roles in a kickback conspiracy that resulted in more than $110 million in fraudulent claims being submitted to federal health programs.
Three things to know:
1. John Rodriguez, Mohammad Chowdhury, Hector de la Cruz Jr. — all of Edinburg — were sentenced along with Alex Flores Jr., of McAllen, Texas, according to a May 8 Justice Department news release. All had previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme.
2. Mr. Rodriguez was a former licensed pharmacist who owned and operated Pharr Family Pharmacy. He conspired with several marketers — including the three co-defendants — to pay kickbacks to medical providers who referred prescriptions to his pharmacy. From 2014 to 2016, his pharmacy submitted more than $110 million in claims for compound drugs to Medicare, Tricare and the Department of Labor.
3. Mr. Rodriguez was sentenced to 60 months in prison. Mr. de la Cruz and Mr. Flores were sentenced to 46 months in prison. Mr. Chowdhury was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
