$4.6 million settlement: four pharmacies targeted for alleged Medicare and Medicaid fraud

The Federal Prosecutor’s Office reported Thursday that it recovered more than $4.1 million from four pharmacies on the island and their owners as part of civil settlements reached in connection with allegations of fraud to Medicare and Medicaid.According to federal authorities, the pharmacies and their owners agreed to pay $4.6 million to resolve allegations of diverted prescription billing between January 2021 and January 2024.In a press release, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office stated that the drugs were allegedly sold to patients who were unaware of their origin and presented as products obtained from authorized sources, although their origin could not be verified.Federal officials warned that this type of practice represents a “risk to patient safety and affects the integrity of federal health programs, which require drugs to come from approved distributors.”They also indicated that the diverted drugs may have been improperly stored or handled, which could compromise their safety and effectiveness. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Unity Pharmacy, in Aibonito, and its owners Raul Morera and Enid Rivera agreed to pay $600,000, of which $165,000 has been collected.Meanwhile, La Rampla Pharmacy, in Yabucoa, and its owner Edwin Gómez agreed to pay $1 million, which has already been collected in full.It was also reported that Monte Verde Pharmacy, in Bayamón, and its owners María T. Rivera and Valerie Cintrón agreed to pay $1 million, which was already recovered by authorities.Meanwhile, Santa Olaya Pharmacy, in Bayamón, and its owner Jaime Figueroa agreed to pay $2 million, which was also collected in full.These cases were investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico, the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Office of Criminal Investigations, with support from other federal and local agencies.---This content was translated from Spanish to English using artificial intelligence and was reviewed by an editor before being published.