A Beverly Hills, CaliforniaFederal court convicted man Tuesday for role in $723,000 fraud in health care and prescription drug diversion schemes at two Southern California pharmacies, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Shahriar Michael Kalantari (55), falsified prescriptions in a scheme that court documents refer to as a health care fraud and unlicensed wholesale distributorship.
A drugstore shelves stocked with bottles of pills
(iStock)
According to Documents and testimony from the court provided during in court, Kalantari’s co-conspirators provided him with information about the person receiving the drugs.
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Kalantari would then use this information to falsify prescriptions to expensive drugs such as those used for HIV treatment.
The prescription would then be sent to Medicare and Medicaid of California through Kalantari’s co-conspirator’s two Southern California pharmacies, though the drugs were never handed over to the beneficiaries, The DOJ said.
These images, which were provided by ViiV Healthcare on Thursday Dec. 10, 2020, show a rendering the packaging and vials that contain Cabenuva, the new HIV treatment. It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) on Thursday Jan. 21, 2021. U.S. regulators approved Cabenuva, a monthly shot that can replace the daily HIV pills that have been in use for decades. Thursday’s approval of Cabenuva is expected to make it easier for people to stay on track with their HIV medicines and to do so with more privacy(ViiV Healthcare via AP)
Instead, drugs would be given to conspirators for illegal sales.
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Kalantari is convicted in the following: conspiracy to commit fraud in health care, conspiracy for theft of money health care fraud, and conspiring to engage in unlicensed wholesale distributions of prescription drugs.
The maximum penalty for him is 25 years. He will also be subject to 10-year maximum sentences on each of his convictions for health care fraud, and a maximum of five years for unlicensed distribution.
Department of JusticeÂ
(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Kalantari’s sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 24, 2023.
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Kalantari’s case was investigated by the FBI and Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.
The Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Florida also helped with the investigation.
The Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, the press release stated, leads efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, which began in 2007.
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This program consists of 15 strike forces located in 24 federal districts. It has charged over 4,200 defendants who have billed Medicare for more than $19 Billion.
