A former pharmaceutical sales representative pleaded guilty June 16 to a $50 million prescription drug fraud scheme.
William Hickman of New Jersey pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money-laundering. He was among seven people charged in March 2019 with enlisting government and education employees to seek prescriptions for medications they didn't need.
He paid the prescription drug claims and then billed the state of New Jersey for the amounts paid, the Justice Department said.
Mr. Hickman was a sales representative for a pharmaceutical company unnamed by the U.S. Justice Department when he created Boardwalk Medical in his wife's name to sell the prescriptions.
Craig Carpenito, the U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, said Mr. Hickman "orchestrated an elaborate scheme to submit prescriptions for unnecessary compounded medications on behalf of patients who had never seen a doctor. He did so to steal millions of dollars from medical health benefits systems that were intended to help employees get the treatments they needed and deserved."
Mr. Hickman was ordered to pay more than $53 million in restitution and forfeit property he bought with the money he obtained illegally.
He faces up to 30 years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 6.
Read the Justice Department's full news release here.