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Elfatih Ibrahim, 58, of Brooklyn, who owns Maxwell Pharmacy in Manhattan, was the ringleader in the bi-state scheme, authorities allege. Ibrahim received prescription medications from patients who got the drugs for free, then sold them for cash to a “runner” who brought them to Ibrahim, the Attorney General’s office said.
The drugs were often sold to the runner for as little as $20, up to $100. Ibrahim would then sell the drugs at his New York pharmacy up until the expiration date. Ibrahim then returned the expired drugs to the wholesalers for a partial refund of up to 85 percent of the purchase price.
Ahmed Mohamed, 62, of Jersey City, allegedly served as the runner from January to August of last year, ferrying the drugs -- including treatments for life-threatening illnesses like HIV and Hepatitis C -- from the Medicaid beneficiaries to Ibrahim.
AUthorities said the most expensive drugs trafficked were Hepatitis C medications Vosevi, Epclusa, and Zepatier, single 30-day prescriptions of which cost about $24,920, $24,344, and $18,200, respectively. Among the most trafficked drugs in the scheme were HIV medications Atripla and Truvada. Single 30-day prescriptions of these drugs usually cost about $2,735 and $1,567, respectively.
The scam was uncovered by the state Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor and the Jersey City Police Department, among other agencies. Millions of dollars in drugs and proceeds were recovered, Grewal said.
Along with Ibrahim and Mohamed, the following people have been indicted on charges of conspiracy and Medicaid fraud for allegedly collecting and selling medicines :
- Constance Douglas, 52, of Jersey City
- Kendall Brown, 55, of Jersey City
- Hiram Estrada-Garcia, 37, of Jersey City
- Mohamed Gaafar, 62, of Jersey City
- John Schmalberger, 60, of Morganville
- A dozen people who allegedly sold their own prescription drugs in the scheme face similar charges:
- Michelle Hazelwood, 50, of Jersey City
- Dawn Jackson, 50, of Jersey City
- Marcus Colon, 38, of Jersey City
- Rhonda Hoffman, 49, of Jersey City
- Julissa Borges, 48, of Bayonne
- Margaret Moore, 47, of Jersey City
- Michael Garland, 49, of Jersey City
- Sobhy Eid, 60, of Bayonne
- Wayne Jones, 58, of Jersey City
- Shawn Morris, 47, of Jersey City
- Alexander Cotto, 37, of Kearny
- Brenda Noel, 60, of Newark
The defendants face anywhere from three to ten years in prison and fines ranging from $15,000 to $150,000 for each conviction.
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