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Pharmacy Owner Found Guilty Of Health Care Fraud, Money Laundering For Role in Billing Scheme

A federal grand jury found a pharmacy owner guilty of a years-long scheme to defraud Medicare by billing for prescriptions never provided to patients.

The owner of Woodhaven Rx was found guilty of scheming to bill Medicare for hundreds of prescriptions he never filled.

The owner of Woodhaven Rx was found guilty of scheming to bill Medicare for hundreds of prescriptions he never filled.

Photo Credit: U.S. Attorney's Office

Queens resident Yuriy Barayev, 45, the former owner of Woodhaven Rx, was found guilty following a four-day trial in Brooklyn federal court to one count of health care fraud and seven counts of money laundering for his role in the scheme.

The pharmacy is located on Woodhaven Boulevard, near the border of Rego Park and Middle Village.

U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue said that between November 2013 and December 2015, Barayev engaged in a scheme to defraud Medicare by submitting claims for hundreds of medications that were never dispensed through his pharmacy.

Barayev then laundered the proceeds of his health care fraud scheme through a shell company owned by his wife, and then spent the money on himself, his family and friends.

When he is sentenced, Barayev faces up to 10 years in prison for health care fraud and up to 20 years on each count of money laundering.

Donoghue noted "the Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force. Since its inception, Strike Force prosecutors filed more than 1,750 cases charging more than 3,800 defendants who collectively billed the Medicare program approximately $15 billion; 2,643 defendants pleaded guilty and 338 others were convicted in jury trials, and 2,424 defendants were sentenced to imprisonment for an average term of approximately 50 months. Medicare payment trends demonstrate the positive impact of Strike Force enforcement and prevention efforts."

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