Pharmacy Owner Convicted of Medicaid Fraud

Last month, a federal jury convicted an Ohio pharmacist Nathanael Thompson, and his operations manager, Salam Ahmad, who was also a pharmacy technician, for conspiring to defraud Ohio’s Medicaid program.

Thompson owned four pharmacies in the Columbus, Ohio area and conspired to charge Medicaid for a particular manufacturer’s omeprazole, which was reimbursable at a significantly higher rate than other generic omeprazole. To maximize their profits, Thompson’s pharmacies were dispensing omeprazole as if a physician had prescribed the drug, but in fact, there were no valid prescription.

The federal jury convicted both individuals of one count to commit health care fraud and two counts of defrauding Medicaid. Both now face a maximum penalty of ten years in prison based on the charges.