ILLEGAL KICKBACKS, OFF-LABEL MARKETING, AND SUBSTANDARD MANUFACTURING The federal government recovered more than $4.3 billion from companies and individuals who were accused of healthcare fraud last year. Of that amount, $3.75 billion – or 87% of the total – was recovered from pharmaceutical companies. Several pharmaceutical companies paid hundreds of millions of dollars to settle claims that they paid kickbacks to doctors and pharmacists in exchange for prescribing the companies’ drugs. For example, Amgen paid $762 million to settle claims that it paid kickbacks and engaged in other illegal marketing tactics to promote three of its drugs for off-label uses. Sanofi paid $109 million to settle allegations that it gave doctors free units of the knee injection drug Hyalagan to persuade them to prescribe more of the drug. The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits paying anything of value in return for patient referrals or prescriptions. The law is designed to ensure that patients are prescribed drugs based solely on their medical needs, not because the doctor or pharmacist is being paid by the pharmaceutical company to prescribe a particular drug. In addition, the law seeks to prevent claims for reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid for prescriptions that are not medically necessary. Other healthcare frauds by pharmaceutical companies involved the sale of drugs that did not comply with FDA manufacturing standards. Ranbaxy Laboratories paid $500 million for violating manufacturing standards and attempting to cover up its substandard products by making false statements in its manufacturing reports to the FDA. According to the government, Ranbaxy made and sold drugs whose potency, purity, or quality were not within FDA requirements. Other cases against pharmaceutical companies involved off-label marketing of pharmaceuticals for uses not approved by the FDA. An off-label use is one that is not approved by the FDA. While a physician may prescribe a drug for an off-label use based on her or his professional judgment, the pharmaceutical companies are not permitted to promote their drugs for any use not approved by the FDA. Abbott paid $1.5 billion to settle claims that it promoted Depakote, a seizure drug also used to treat bipolar disorder, for off-label uses such as controlling agitation and aggression in elderly dementia patients. Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Pfizer, paid more than $490 million for marketing the kidney transplant drug Rapamune for unapproved uses and for engaging in a campaign to switch patients to Rapamune from other drugs. Many of the healthcare fraud cases against the pharmaceutical companies were brought by whistleblowers – current or former employees who came forward with evidence of substandard drugs, improper marketing activities, or illegal kickbacks. Under the False Claims Act, these whistleblowers are entitled to receive large rewards of between 15% and 30% of the amount recovered by the government. If you have evidence that a pharmaceutical company is engaged in off-label promotion, kickbacks, or other improper or illegal conduct, you should consult with an experienced whistleblower lawyer to protect your rights. You may be entitled to a large reward and other protections. To arrange a free and confidential consultation with an experienced whistleblower attorney, call John Howley, Esq. at (212) 601-2728 or click here to reach our office via email. John Howley, Esq. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. I invite you to contact our law offices and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established. I practice law and offer legal services only in jurisdictions where I am properly authorized to do so. I do not seek to represent anyone in any jurisdiction where this web site does not comply with applicable laws and bar rules.
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FALSE CLAIMS ACT WHISTLEBLOWER WILL RECEIVE A $400,000 REWARD Pharmacy company Omnicare Inc. has agreed to pay more than $4 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit alleging that it accepted kickbacks from pharmaceutical company Amgen Inc. The kickbacks allegedly were paid in the form of “rebates” to induce the pharmacy to switch Medicaid beneficiaries from a competitor drug to Amgen’s product Aranesp. The whistleblower’s complaint alleged that so-called “performance-based rebates” were actually kickbacks paid to the pharmacy in return for switching patients from their existing medications to Amgen’s Aransep product. The complaint also alleged that more traditional forms of kickbacks were paid disguised as grants, speaker fees, consulting services, data fees, dinners and travel. According to the whistleblower complaint, the pharmaceutical company agreed to a “rebate contract” that gave the pharmacy an incentive to convert patients at long-term care facilities from Procrit to Aranesp. The pharmacy allegedly earned rebates based on a sliding scale. For example, if the pharmacy purchased $9.9 million or more of Aranesp during one quarter, it would earn a 3% rebate. But if it purchased $13.4 million or more of Aranesp, the pharmacy would receive a 23% rebate. The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits healthcare providers from soliciting or accepting anything of value in return for patient referrals or the selection of a particular pharmaceutical product. The purpose of the Anti-Kickback Statute is to ensure that decisions affecting Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, particularly vulnerable patients in skilled nursing facilities, are based on the best interests of the patients and are not improperly influenced by financial incentives. This settlement resolves a lawsuit filed under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provision of the False Claims Act. Whistleblowers who help the government recover money for false claims to Medicare and Medicaid earn rewards based on the amount of money recovered. The whistleblower who brought the lawsuit in this case will receive a reward of almost $400,000. If you are aware that a pharmaceutical company, hospital, or other healthcare provider is giving pharmacists or doctors anything of value -- rebates, cash, or below-market office space and staff -- in return for patient referrals or prescriptions, then you should contact an experienced whistleblower attorney immediately to protect your rights. You may be entitled to a significant reward and other whistleblower protections. To arrange a free and confidential consultation with an experienced whistleblower attorney, call John Howley, Esq. at (212) 601-2728 or click here to reach our office via email. John Howley, Esq. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. I invite you to contact our law offices and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established. I practice law and offer legal services only in jurisdictions where I am properly authorized to do so. I do not seek to represent anyone in any jurisdiction where this web site does not comply with applicable laws and bar rules. CRIMINAL PROSECUTIONS INCREASE SINCE MAYOR DE BLASIO TOOK OFFICE The Bureau of Fraud Investigation is sending more cases to the District Attorney's office for criminal prosecution. This raises the stakes for anyone who receives a letter from a fraud investigator at the NYC Human Resources Administration (HRA). Every year, thousands of individuals receive letters from fraud investigators at the HRA's Bureau of Fraud Investigation. The letters ask you to appear for an "interview" at the offices of the Bureau of Fraud Investigation at 151 West Broadway in lower Manhattan. The letters also usually contain a list of documents you must bring to the interview, including tax returns, bank statements, and other financial documents. The letters are sent out when a fraud investigator has determined that you might not qualify for Medicaid or Family Health Plus benefits. In the past, if the investigator determined that you did not qualify or Medicaid or Family Health Plus benefits, they would usually ask you to pay back the cost of those benefits. Many times, the investigators would negotiate a no-interest payment plan, and sometimes they would reduce the amount owed based on your ability to pay. As long as you cooperated with the investigation, you could avoid any lawsuits or criminal prosecutions. All that has changed since Mayor de Blasio took office. The Bureau of Fraud Investigation is now referring many of the cases directly to the District Attorney's office for criminal prosecution. In some cases, the fraud investigator will no longer even speak with you. They will just send your case for prosecution. The next thing you know, detectives are at your front door asking you to turn yourself in at a police station or to speak with an Assistant District Attorney. This is a very serious change in enforcement policy. If convicted of a felony, you could face up to five years in prison and very heavy fines. Even a misdemeanor conviction can result in up to one year in prison and a $1,000 fine per count. Plus, you could be ordered to pay tens of thousands of dollars in restitution and be placed on probation for a number of years. If you receive a letter from the Bureau of Fraud Investigation, you must not ignore it. Call an experienced Medicaid fraud attorney immediately to understand your rights and prepare your defense. To arrange a free and confidential initial consultation, call John Howley, Esq. at (212) 601-2728 or click here to reach our office via email. John Howley, Esq. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. I invite you to contact our law offices and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established. I practice law and offer legal services only in jurisdictions where I am properly authorized to do so. I do not seek to represent anyone in any jurisdiction where this web site does not comply with applicable laws and bar rules. The federal government has joined eight whistleblower lawsuits alleging that Health Management Associates Inc. (HMA) billed federal health care programs for medically unnecessary inpatient admissions from the emergency departments at HMA hospitals. The lawsuits also allege that HMA paid kickbacks to doctors for inpatient admissions and referrals. The lawsuits were filed by individual citizens under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act. This statute allows individual citizens to start a lawsuit “under seal” (in secret) on behalf of the government when they believe that defendants submitted false claims for government funds. The government then has the right to join the lawsuit. If the government recovers money as a result of the lawsuits, the individual whitleblowers will receive rewards of between 15% and 25% of the amounts the government recovers. One of the lawsuits alleges that HMA and its former CEO pressured emergency department physicians and hospital administrators to raise inpatient admission rates, regardless of medical necessity. Another lawsuit also alleges that patients were improperly admitted for surgical procedures that should have been done on an outpatient basis. The allegations of kickbacks include claims that HMA paid bonuses, awarded contracts, and gave other incentives to physician groups that staffed HMA emergency rooms in return for admitting patients regardless of medical necessity. The kickbacks allegedly included direct payments, free office space and staffing, paying inflated prices for physician-owned assets, providing sham medical directorship contracts, and selling assets to physicians for below fair market value. Paying anything of value for referrals of Medicare and Medicaid patients violates the Anti-Kickback Statute. When a hospital submits claims for patient referrals made by a doctor with whom the hospital has a financial relationship, it also violates the Stark Law (also known as the Physician Self-Referral Law). Both the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Law are based on the principle that physicians should make decisions based solely on their professional judgment and the best interests of the patient, without regard to improper financial incentives. FBI Assistant Director Ron Hosko said that the government’s decision to join the whistleblower lawsuits should send a clear message that investigating false claims for emergency medical services is “a very high priority for the FBI.” If you are aware of false claims submitted to Medicare or Medicaid, then you should consult with an experienced whistleblower attorney immediately. You may be entitled to a large reward. To arrange a free and confidential consultation with an experienced whistleblower attorney, call John Howley Esq. at (212) 601-2728, or click here to reach our office via email. John Howley, Esq. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. I invite you to contact our law offices and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established. I practice law and offer legal services only in jurisdictions where I am properly authorized to do so. I do not seek to represent anyone in any jurisdiction where this web site does not comply with applicable laws and bar rules. A 35 year old Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) is facing up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and other penalties for creating false run sheets or trip reports that were used to bill Medicare and Medicaid for ambulance services. The EMT pleaded guilty to health care fraud after government investigators discovered a scheme by his employer, Brotherly Love Ambulance, Inc., to submit false claims to Medicare and Medicaid. The EMT was accused of creating run sheets or trip reports indicating that patients needed ambulance services, when he knew that they were able to walk or to be transported by less expensive wheelchair vans. The false run sheets resulted in Medicare and Medicaid paying his employer for ambulance transports that were not medically necessary. Unfortunately, this EMT went along with the scheme. If he had sought legal advice, he would have learned not only that he was putting himself at risk, but also that he could earn a large reward for reporting the fraud. Under the False Claims Act, an individual who helps the government prevent Medicare or Medicaid fraud is entitled to a reward of up to 30% of the amount the government recovers. In this case, the EMT could have earned a reward of as much as $600,000. Instead, he is now facing the possibility of spending the next 10 years in prison. Do not go to prison for your employer’s fraud. If you suspect that your employer is submitting false claims to government healthcare programs, then you should consult with an experienced Medicare and Medicaid fraud attorney immediately. To arrange a free and confidential consultation, call John Howley, Esq. at (212) 601-2728 or click here to reach our office via email. John Howley, Esq. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. I invite you to contact our law offices and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established. I practice law and offer legal services only in jurisdictions where I am properly authorized to do so. I do not seek to represent anyone in any jurisdiction where this web site does not comply with applicable laws and bar rules. A physician was indicted on federal charges that he illegally dispensed prescription narcotics to three patients. The physician was charged with 17 counts of illegally dispensing Oxycodone and/or Alprazolam in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury. According to the indictment, the physician dispensed Oxycodone and Alprazolam outside the scope of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose to three different patients on 17 occasions. The physician’s medical license was suspended and he surrendered his DEA registration after federal and local authorities executed a search warrant at his office and he was arrested. He now faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine on each count. Medical professionals need to understand that the government has tremendous resources on its side. In this case, for example, the investigation was conducted by the Office of the United States Attorney, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the local Police Department. If you are under investigation or have been charged with a crime, you should contact a criminal defense attorney who focuses on controlled substances and other healthcare related crimes. To arrange a free initial consultation, call John Howley, Esq. at (212) 601-2728. John Howley, Esq. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. I invite you to contact our law offices and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established. I practice law and offer legal services only in jurisdictions where I am properly authorized to do so. I do not seek to represent anyone in any jurisdiction where this web site does not comply with applicable laws and bar rules. A physician who purchased Botox® from an unlicensed foreign wholesaler faces up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to felony charges. The doctor received faxes from a foreign drug wholesaler that offered low prices for prescription drugs, including “Botox (Turkish)” for $354.99 a vial. At the time, the FDA-approved version of Botox® was sold through licensed drug wholesalers in the United States for about $525 a vial. According to the government, the physician made at least 50 separate purchases of the counterfeit drugs from the foreign wholesaler, which he provided patients without informing them of the source. When special agents investigators from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) questioned the physician, he told the agents he had only made three purchases from the unlicensed foreign wholesaler. This was a big mistake. Making a false statement to a federal agent is a felony that carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and fines up to $250,000. It also results in immediate exclusion from Medicaid, Medicare and other government programs. While it may have been difficult to for the government prove that the physician knew that the drugs were counterfeit or had actually used them to treat patients, the number of purchases could easily be proved with the physician’s own bank and credit card records. If government agents ask to speak with you, remember this. You have the right to remain silent and the right to legal counsel. Do not give up those rights. Tell the agents politely that you want to speak with your lawyer. Then call an experienced Medicare and Medicaid fraud defense attorney immediately. To arrange a free initial consultation, call John Howley, Esq. at (212) 601-2728. John Howley, Esq. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. I invite you to contact our law offices and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established. I practice law and offer legal services only in jurisdictions where I am properly authorized to do so. I do not seek to represent anyone in any jurisdiction where this web site does not comply with applicable laws and bar rules. New clients call me every day when they receive a letter from the Bureau of Fraud Investigation at the NYC Human Resources Administration. The letter says that their eligibility for Medicaid or Family Health Plus is being investigated. The new client's first question is always the same: Will I go to jail? The answer is: It depends on how you respond to the letter. Here are three actual cases that I handled recently with three very different outcomes. Unexplained Bank Deposits A woman who received one of these letters was very worried because her bank statements showed a large deposit -- more than $40,000 -- that was inconsistent with the very low income she had listed on her application for Medicaid benefits. The same amount was also reported on her tax returns as "income," but she had not reported that amount as income when she re-certified that she was eligible for Medicaid benefits. After talking with the client, I learned that she took the money out of her IRA because she was facing foreclosure and needed the money to save her home. She was in luck. While the money was considered "income" for tax purposes, it was not considered income for Medicaid purposes. Under New York Medicaid rules, a one-time withdrawal from an IRA, 401-k, or other retirement plan is considered liquidation of an asset. Withdrawals from retirement plans are only considered income if they are made on a regular basis over time. This is just one of the many complicated rules governing Medicaid that most people -- including many lawyers -- do not know. The client and I went in to see the investigator with an IRA statement showing that this was a one-time withdrawal. The investigator literally apologized for causing unnecessary anxiety and said she hoped the client would be able to save her home. Case closed. Blatant Fraud Another client came to me with a very serious problem. He had flat-out lied on his application and re-certifications for Medicaid benefits. He wrote that he earned only $400 per week when, in fact, he earned closer to $4,000 per week. Plus he owned businesses that paid the leases on luxury cars that he and his wife drove for both business and pleasure. Not only was this client facing the possibility of serious Medicaid fraud charges, but he also faced the possibility that the investigators at the Bureau of Fraud Investigation would refer his case to the tax authorities and other law enforcement agencies for serious civil and criminal investigations. After reviewing the client's financial records, we decided the best option was to admit that he was not eligible for Medicaid benefits and negotiate a settlement. The investigator presented the client with a very large claim -- tens of thousands of dollars -- for benefits the government had provided to the client and his family. I was able to negotiate two options for the client to get out of this mess. He could pay the claim in monthly installments over a period of 10 years with no interest or penalties. Or he could receive a discount if he paid the claim in full. The client took out his checkbook, paid the claim, and received a discount. The Human Resources Administration signed a settlement agreement stating that the payment resolved all claims against him, that no further action would be taken against him, and that his case would not be referred to any other government agency. Case closed. Penny Wise and Pound Foolish Puts the Client in Handcuffs A husband and wife received letters from the Bureau of Fraud Investigation asking them to come in for an interview and to bring all their financial records, including tax returns, bank statements, mortgage documents, etc. This couple decided not to call a lawyer. They went to the meeting on their own and tried to convince the investigators that they had done nothing wrong. They blamed an insurance agent for misleading them. The agent, they said, told them to list only the income on their pay stubs. The agent said they were not required to list other income they received from rental properties and a home-based business. When asked why they listened to the agent when the application forms clearly state that all income must be disclosed, the couple told the investigators that "everyone does it." The claim against this couple, about $15,000, was much smaller than the claim against the man who settled his case by admitting his wrongdoing and writing a check. But the investigators were not impressed by the couple's excuses and attempt to blame others. So they referred the case to the District Attorney's office. Several weeks later, the husband and wife were arrested and placed in handcuffs in front of their children. They spent a night in jail in separate cells. They were charged with four different felonies that carried possible sentences of four years in prison on each count. Because the husband was not a U.S. citizen, he also faced deportation if he was convicted of one of the felonies. That is when they decided to call a lawyer. It took almost three months of negotiations, but I was able to convince the District Attorney to let the couple avoid felony convictions (and the husband's deportation) by pleading guilty to misdemeanors and paying $15,000 in restitution plus a $5,000 fine. They were not sentenced to any prison time. If they had called a Medicaid fraud lawyer when they received the Bureau of Fraud Investigation's letter, there is a very good chance that they would not have been arrested or placed in handcuffs, they would not have spent a night in jail, they would not have paid a $5,000 fine, and they would not have criminal records. And the legal fee would have been much less than what I had to charge them for three months of work. The moral of these real-life stories is crystal clear. If you receive a letter from the Bureau of Fraud Investigation concerning your eligibility for Medicaid, call an experienced Medicaid fraud defense attorney immediately to protect your rights. You can reach me at (212) 601-2728 or click here to reach my law offices via email. The initial consultation is free and completely confidential. John Howley, Esq. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. I invite you to contact our law offices and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established. I practice law and offer legal services only in jurisdictions where I am properly authorized to do so. I do not seek to represent anyone in any jurisdiction where this web site does not comply with applicable laws and bar rules.
Almost every day, I help clients avoid criminal charges by getting involved in their cases before any charges have been filed. Then, about once or twice a month, a client comes in who made the mistake of speaking to investigators or prosecutors without a lawyer. Even though they are no more culpable than my other clients, the ones who speak to law enforcement on their own are often charged with felonies that could put them in prison for years. This is a terrible truth of our legal system: The people who “cooperate” sometimes get treated more harshly than the people who “lawyer up.” A recent case gives some insight into why this happens. A client came to see me after he was charged with serious felonies for Medicaid fraud. When I called the prosecutor to discuss the case, I asked why her office had charged felonies. Her answer was revealing. “Your client’s admissions gave us an open and shut case. Based on what he told us, we can prove all the elements of the felony charges.” Here lies the disconnect between how ordinary people approach the legal system and how it actually works. My client thought he was doing the right thing. He thought that the prosecutor would go easy on him if he came forward and just told the truth. During the interview, he emphasized how sorry he was and promised not to do it again. The hard-nosed prosecutors have heard these stories a million times. Some of the more cynical prosecutors say, “Everyone is sorry after they get caught.” Even the more compassionate prosecutors say that they would like to believe everyone who says they are sorry, but they cannot tell who is truly sorry and who is just putting on the sorry face to avoid prosecution. So, the prosecutors stick to the objective facts. If the facts add up to a felony, then they charge you with a felony. If you want leniency because you are truly sorry, then go tell it to the judge and jury. Or, better yet, do not talk to law enforcement until after you retain a lawyer. A lawyer can look at the facts and talk with the prosecutor before you decide whether or not to cooperate. What happened to my client who made the mistake of talking to prosecutors before getting legal advice? He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, paid $15,000 in restitution and a $250 surcharge. We avoided the tragedy of prison, but he now has a criminal record that will haunt him for the rest of his life. Later that same day, I met with investigators to negotiate a deal for another client who never spoke to anyone in law enforcement before coming to see me. The investigators agreed to settle the matter if my client paid back $11,500. Period. No criminal charges. No criminal record. And my legal fee was a fraction of the legal fee that I had to charge the first client. Every case is different. The results in one case do not guarantee a similar outcome in another case at a different time, under different circumstances, or with a different prosecutor. Sometimes, even with the best strategy, you end up with criminal charges and convictions despite doing everything possible. But you do have rights. And exercising those rights can make a difference. You have the right to remain silent. You have the right to a lawyer. Do not give up those rights. My phone number is (212) 601-2728. Or click here to reach my office via email. John Howley, Esq. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. I invite you to contact our law offices and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established. I practice law and offer legal services only in jurisdictions where I am properly authorized to do so. I do not seek to represent anyone in any jurisdiction where this web site does not comply with applicable laws and bar rules.
The owner of Patient’s Pharmacy & Infusion has been arrested for allegedly defrauding Medicaid of almost $600,000. The owner is accused of submitting false claims to Medicaid for prescription medicines that were never dispensed. The pharmacy owner is charged with one count of first degree Medicaid fraud. If convicted, she faces up to 30 years in prison and more than $2.9 million in fines. The arrest came after an investigation by the state Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU). It appears that the pharmacy owner was caught in a classic investigation technique. According to the government, the volume of medicines allegedly dispensed did not match up with invoices for the amount of medicines actually purchased. Comparing dispensing data with purchasing data has become an important tool for Medicaid fraud investigators throughout the country, especially in investigations into pharmacists, pharmacies, and durable medical equipment (DME) supply companies. MFCU investigators often obtain purchasing data from wholesalers and other suppliers before the pharmacists know they are under investigation. They then compare the amount of drugs purchased with the amount of drugs allegedly dispensed to determine if the pharmacy is seeking reimbursement for more drugs than it purchased. If you are under investigation for Medicaid fraud or have been charged with a crime, you should know that the government has tremendous resources on its side. You should consult with an experienced Medicare and Medicaid fraud defense attorney immediately to protect your rights. To arrange a free and confidential initial consultation, call John Howley, Esq. at (212) 601-2728 or click here to reach our law offices via email. John Howley, Esq. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. I invite you to contact our law offices and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established. I practice law and offer legal services only in jurisdictions where I am properly authorized to do so. I do not seek to represent anyone in any jurisdiction where this web site does not comply with applicable laws and bar rules. |
John Howley, Esq.
350 Fifth Avenue 59FL New York, NY 10118 (212) 601-2728 |