Pharmacy Owner Sentenced to Prison for $6.9 Million Insurance Fraud Scheme

The US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan has announced the sentencing of a Dearborn Heights pharmacist to 2 years in federal prison.

The Case

The pharmacist, Zeinab Makki, 61, served as the pharmacist in charge at New Millennium Drugs and Western Wayne Pharmacy from 2001 to 2021. During that time, she admitted to leading a scheme to defraud Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. The scheme involved submitting claims for medications that the pharmacies never purchased or dispensed.

“False medical claims divert much needed funding away from patients in need of life-saving services and Ms. Makki will serve her sentence for orchestrating and participating in this scheme,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan, in a statement. “The FBI is proud to work alongside our law enforcement partners and pursue justice against medical professionals who defraud government healthcare programs.”

In addition to prison time, a US District Judge ordered Makki to pay $6.9 million in restitution.

“This sentencing underscores our commitment to holding those who defraud Federal health care programs accountable,” said Mario M. Pinto, Special Agent in Charge of the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, in a statement. “Our agency remains dedicated to working with our law enforcement partners to identify and investigate fraud allegations.”

The Takeaway

The government—both state and federal—remains dedicated to pursuing such cases. “Fraud by health care professionals will be aggressively pursued by our office,” said US Attorney Dawn Ison when announcing Makkai’s sentencing. “We hope that prosecutions like this one will deter health care professionals from stealing money from those who genuinely need it to order to line their own pockets.”

Reference:

Pharmacy owner sentenced for role in $6.9 million scheme to bill insurance for medications not dispensed. Press release. US Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Michigan. Published October 24, 2024. Accessed November 18, 2024. https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmi/pr/pharmacy-owner-sentenced-role-69-million-scheme-bill-insurance-medications-not