A federal jury convicted a 23-year-old Michigan woman for committing fraud in a yearslong pharmaceutical "coupon" case totaling $65 million, according to the Justice Department.
Suzan Berro billed drugmakers with "coupon" programs intended to lower brand-name drug prices for some patients, but Ms. Berro and co-conspirators used fake prescriptions for fake patients by creating names and birthdays, picking pricey brand-name drugs and attributing the prescriptions to real physicians, according to the case.
"The evidence showed that the conspiracy went to great lengths to make the supposed patients appear real, including ensuring that all three addresses — the real doctor, the fake pharmacy, and the made-up patient — were in close, geographic proximity," the Justice Department said. "However, witness testimony revealed that the majority of pharmacies only existed on paper and never opened to the public, nor even ordered inventory."
The fraudulent healthcare claims, made through drugmaker copay programs, were made to more than 40 pharmacies.
Ms. Berro's trial is scheduled for May 1, and she faces up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud.