Four pharmacy owners have been sentenced for their involvement in a large-scale health care fraud conspiracy that defrauded Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan out of more than $13 million.
Pharmacist Raef Hamaed, of Maricopa County, Arizona, received the longest sentence of 10 years in prison, while his co-conspirators also faced significant prison time: Tarek Fakhuri, of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, was sentenced to seven years on January 13; Ali Abdelrazzaq, of Macomb County, Michigan, was sentenced to two years on January 15; and Kindy Ghussin, of Greene County, Ohio, was sentenced to five years and five months on February 6.
The four men were convicted in September 2024 for their roles in submitting false claims for prescription medications that were never dispensed at their pharmacies. The defendants operated five pharmacies: Eastside Pharmacy, Harper Drugs, and Wayne Campus Pharmacy in Michigan, and Heartland Pharmacy and Heartland Pharmacy 2 in Ohio.
Court documents revealed that the fraud was extensive, with the pharmacy owners billing Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield for medications that were never provided to patients, causing significant financial losses to the insurance providers.
Hamaed was convicted for his actions across all five pharmacies, while Fakhuri, Ghussin, and Abdelrazzaq were convicted for their roles at specific pharmacies. Fakhuri, in particular, was also found guilty of one count of health care fraud.
The sentences reflect the serious nature of the conspiracy, which exploited vulnerable health care systems for financial gain. Authorities have now taken a strong stand against such fraudulent activities, signaling a commitment to cracking down on health care fraud nationwide.
