June 18, 2015

Health Care Fraud Sentence Handed Down

PHILADELPHIA—Jermaine Hairston, 40, of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced today to 38 months in prison and three years of supervised release, for health care fraud and aggravated identity theft. Hairston stole the personal identifying information of an emergency room physician and used it to call in fake prescriptions for expensive medications in the names of individuals on medical assistance. Hairston, and others, would pick up the prescription medication, generating a claim to the patient’s health insurance, and then sell the medication for cash.

In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge John R. Padova ordered Hairston to pay restitution in the amount of $13,386.63.

The case was investigated by the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth Abrams.