Cresco Pharmacist Sentenced to Federal Prison for Insurance Fraud

A pharmacist in Cresco, Iowa, who defrauded his health insurance company by submitting false prescription claims was sentenced today to four years in federal prison.

Patrick Slifka, age 51, from Cresco, Iowa, received the prison term after a September 16, 2009, guilty plea to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

At the plea hearing, Slifka admitted he executed a scheme to defraud Wellmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield by submitting fraudulent claims against his family health insurance coverage for medications that were not prescribed by a licenced health care provider and, in some cases, where no medications were dispensed. Slifka also admitted he used the name and Drug Enforcement Agency number of an actual physician to facilitate this scheme. Under the terms of his health care prescription coverage, Slifka was to receive reimbursement payments for medications lawfully prescribed to him. At the sentencing hearing, Slifka agreed the amount of loss to the victim insurance company was more than $120,000.

Slifka was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade. Slifka was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment and fined $25,000.00. A special assessment of $200 was imposed, and he was ordered to make $135,594.32 in restitution to Wellmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

Slifka was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on a date yet to be set.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Peter Deegan and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is CR 09-2025.