Pharmacist Admits to $14.4 Million Medicaid Fraud

A pharmacist in Nebraska has pleaded guilty to what is possibly the largest case of Medicaid fraud in the state.

Scott Tran, owner of Tran Pharmacy, submitted hundreds of fraudulent claims for tobramycin solution (Tobi) in the names of his customers’ children, The Journal Star reported.

By pleading guilty on September 29, 2015, Tran agreed to a restitution of $14.4 million.

Assistant US Attorney Alan Everett told The Journal Star that the government could recoup close to $3 million from the pharmacist’s home, store, bank accounts, stocks, and life insurance policies.

US Magistrate Judge Cheryl Zwart noted that Tran will not likely serve as a pharmacist ever again.

“In a profession such as yours, employment is a major concern. Do you understand that?” Zwart asked, according to The Journal Star.

“Yes, your honor,” Tran said.

Tran’s defense maintained that the money from false claims was spent on his client’s out-of-control gambling addiction.

He had spent more than $800,000 at 2 casinos in a span of 3 months, Everett told The Journal Star.

The pharmacist was first arrested in April 2015 on 18 counts of health care fraud. An affidavit shows that Tran submitted 399 reimbursement claims for Tobi between 2009 and 2015, The Journal Star reported.

While Tran claimed that the 399 Tobi orders came from 6 physicians in the area, the FBI determined that this was not the case.

Tran will be sentenced in January 2016. He could serve 8 to 10 years in federal prison.