https://www.thedailyjagran.com/world/indian-origin-doctor-neil-k-anand-behind-goody-bag-scam-gets-168month-prison-sentence-in-us-all-about-multimillion-dollar-medicare-fraud-10269853

An Indian-origin doctor has been sentenced to 168 months in prison for “orchestrating conspiracies to commit health care fraud, wire fraud, and unlawful distribution” of controlled substances and money-laundering related offenses, US Department of Justice has said.

Neil K Anand, 48, of Bensalem, Pennsylvania, was also ordered to pay over USD 2 million in restitution and over USD 2 million in forfeiture, the Department of Justice said in a statement.

Anand was convicted in April this year for conspiring to submit false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, health plans provided by the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Independence Blue Cross (IBC) and Anthem for ‘Goody Bags' of medically unnecessary prescription medications.

These medications were dispensed to patients by in-house pharmacies owned by Anand, the Department of Justice statement said on Tuesday. “In total, Medicare, OPM, IBC, and Anthem paid over USD 2.4 million in reimbursements. To entice patients to take the unwanted Goody Bags, Anand also conspired to distribute oxycodone outside the usual course of medical practice and without a legitimate medical purpose,” it said.

In furtherance of the conspiracy, unlicensed medical interns wrote prescriptions for controlled substances using blank prescriptions that were pre-signed by Anand, it added.

As part of the scheme, Anand prescribed 20,850 oxycodone tablets for nine different patients, but after learning that he was under investigation, Anand “concealed the proceeds of the fraud by transferring approximately USD 1.2 million into an account in the name of a relative and for the benefit of a minor relative,” the Department said.