Kentucky pharmacists, doctor charged in investigation of alleged health fraud
Two Kentucky pharmacists who allegedly fraudulently billed insurance programs more than $1 million have been charged in an investigation of health care fraud.
Providers charged in separate cases included the owner of medical supply business who allegedly billed Medicare for equipment such as braces that people didn’t need, and the manager of a doctor’s office who sent fake bills to health plans to cover her thefts from the practice.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced the charges Thursday.
The cases were part of a nationwide enforcement action in which federal authorities charged 193 people and seized cash, vehicles, gold and other items worth more than $231 million, according to a news release.
Those charged in Kentucky were:
▪ Michael Boaz, 45, and Christopher Augustus, of Clinton.
Boaz, a pharmacist, owned the Clinton Pharmacy in Hickman County, and he and Augustus, also a pharmacist, owned Bardwell Pharmacy in Carlisle County, according to the indictment.
The indictment charges that between June 2017 and September 2021, the two conspired to commit health care fraud.
They allegedly submitted bills to health care programs for medication that providers had not ordered for patients and used “misrepresentations, material omissions and deception” to get authorization for the medication from doctors and nurse practitioners, the indictment charges.
They allegedly billed benefit programs more than $1 million as part of the fraud.
The two also are charged with multiple counts of issuing fraudulent prescriptions, and each faces a charge of aggravated identity theft for allegedly misusing the identification of a health care provider.
▪ Lawrence Peters, 62, a Louisville physician, is charged with conspiracy.
Peters allegedly took part in a scheme to use someone else’s registration to issue prescriptions and told employees to fill the prescriptions at a pharmacy he owned.
▪ Shafi Abbas, 57, of Pendleton, was charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and three counts of money laundering.
Between November 2019 and late last year, Abbas allegedly billed Medicare for medical equipment for patients that either wasn’t medically necessary, that they didn’t want or that doctors hadn’t ordered.
The companies he used were Aidmen Medical Equipment and Justright Medical Equipment.
He allegedly fraudulently billed Medicare for $2.6 million and the program paid $1.3 million of that, according to the indictment.
▪ Carissa Uptegraff, 44, of Glasgow, was indicted on two charges of theft of medical products.
She allegedly stole pain medication from two pharmacies where she worked.
▪ Tammy Daniels, who also is known as Tammy Richardson.
Daniels, 55, of Louisville was indicted on charges of health care fraud and wire fraud.
The indictment says Daniels was the accounts manager for a medical practice in Louisville.
Between March 2016 and March 2022, she allegedly used her employer’s credit cards and bank account to make personal purchases, then submitted fraudulent bills to Medicare and other programs to get money to cover the credit cards bills.
Daniels obtained more than $750,000 from the business illegally, according to the indictment.
