After a four-week jury trial, 63-year-old pharmacist Ira Gross was found guilty Tuesday of distributing HIV medication illegally obtained from the black market to patients, according to New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman.
Mr. Gross and others involved in the scheme were arrested in April 2012 for distributing the illegally obtained medications through MOMS pharmacy in Melville, N.Y. The drugs were dispensed to Medicaid recipients. The medications were stolen from manufacturers and some were expired.
The supervising pharmacist and compliance officer for MOMS, Glenn Schabel, and two other co-defendants, Stephen Manuel Costa and Harry Abolafia, both previously pleaded guilty to their involvement in the scheme. Mr. Schabel admitted he accepted more than $5 million in bribes over a four-year period.
Through the scheme, Medicaid and other payers were illegally billed $274 million, with Mr. Gross receiving $25 million.
Mr. Gross was found guilty of money laundering, grand larceny, criminal diversion of prescription medications, conspiracy, commercial bribing, attempted grand larceny and attempted criminal diversion of prescription medications. He faces up to 25 years in prison.
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