Two pharmacy owners pleaded guilty to submitting fraudulent Medicare claims for expensive medications, including cancer drugs with COVID-19-related "emergency override" billing codes, as part of an $18 million scheme, the Justice Department said Nov. 16.
New York residents Arkadiy Khaimov and Peter Khaim both pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering on Nov. 3. In May, a judge sentenced Mr. Khaimov to 51 months in prison for fraudulently billing a drugmaker $7.2 million.
Mr. Khaimov and Mr. Khaim submitted fraudulent claims for prescriptions through pharmacies they and their co-conspirators owned and used the COVID-19 emergency override codes to submit additional claims for certain high-cost cancer drugs. In order to hide their actions, they then funneled the money from the Medicare reimbursements through shell companies, including sham pharmacy wholesalers.
Mr. Khaimov and Mr. Khaim face up to 20 years in prison.