Three Detroit subway residents have been charged with involvement in a scheme to defraud health insurance companies of $7 million, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The accused is Summer N. Yousef, 56, of Troy, Florida, and Indian Rocks Beach. Dr. Dowd Faraj, 52, of Dearborn. Dawn Ison’s office said in a statement that Huda Bazzi, 34, of Dearborn and Indian Rocks Beach, Fla., and others have been charged with diversion and resale of expensive prescription drugs. Stated.
The charges against Youssef, Farage and Bazzi include one count of conspiracy to commit medical fraud and 15 counts of aiding and abetting medical fraud. Youssef has also been indicted on 12 counts of money laundering.
From 2016 to 2021, Youssef, a licensed pharmacist who ran Somerset Specialty Pharmacy in Rochester Hills, worked with others to identify expensive specialty drugs that could be resold, according to the indictment. Bazzi worked with him as a licensed pharmacy technician.
A specialty drug is a prescription drug that treats an uncommon condition or has some other unique function. Medication prescriptions are usually received by mail or courier by specialty pharmacies rather than regular retail pharmacies. Some of the specialty drugs identified in the indictment were intended to treat cystic fibrosis and relapsing multiple sclerosis.
Youssef worked with doctors in southeastern Michigan, including Faraj, to write a medically unnecessary prescription for the specialty drug Youssef wanted, according to the filing. According to the prosecutor’s office, Dearborn and Garden City Beaumont family physician Falaj issued medically unnecessary prescriptions in the name of “patients” who were Youssef, Bazzi, or acquaintances of Falaj, including Medicare recipients, and in Youssef’s name. said he was suspected of writing And Bazzi himself became a target of the Blue Care Network.
According to the indictment, these defendants arranged for medically unnecessary drugs to be shipped to addresses in southeastern Michigan under their control, resulting in medically unnecessary drugs being sent to Medicare and the Bluecare network. It is said that he was asked to pay for special medicines. Medicare and the Blue Care Network then paid for the specialty drugs, which Youssef, Bazzi and others sold and shipped at 100% of their profits to domestic and foreign companies, the people said.
“These licensed medical professionals are swindling millions of dollars from Medicare and private insurance companies to provide needed services to the elderly and disabled,” Ison said in a statement Tuesday. There is a suspicion that he has used the funds for his own personal gain.”
Devin J. Kowalski, deputy special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit field office, said, “These defendants are underestimating the numbers that should be spent providing quality care to patients with real medical needs.” It allegedly stole millions of dollars and violated the integrity of the health care system.” . “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will not slow down in our efforts to investigate and bring to justice those involved in these types of criminal acts.”
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew J. Lievens. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Nathan is in charge of forfeiture-related matters. The investigation is being conducted jointly by the FBI, HHS-OIG, HSI and DEA.
