Pharmacist Admits Guilt In $200K Health Care Fraud
BALTIMORE (AP) -- A Hagerstown pharmacist has pleaded guilty to improperly billing Medicare and Medicaid more than $200,000 for unlawful prescriptions for oxycodone and methadone.
Sixty-two-year-old David Russo, who owned and operated Russo's Rx, entered the plea Friday in federal court in Baltimore. As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors and the defense with ask for a term of 30 months in prison at sentencing Aug. 22. Russo will also be ordered to pay restitution.
According to his plea deal, Russo filled prescriptions for oxycodone, methadone and benzodiazepines that he knew were issued outside of the legitimate medical course and fraudulently billed Medicare and Medicaid for those prescriptions.
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