NEW YORK—A pharmacy owner in Brooklyn was indicted for scamming nearly $800,000 out of Medicaid. An undercover investigation discovered Aleksandr Ilyayev, 41, billed Medicaid for HIV-related medications without filling prescriptions fully.
Ilyayev paid the Medicaid recipients in cash and MetroCards for bringing him their prescriptions to his V&A Pharmacy on Manhattan Ave. in Williamsburg from early 2011 to late 2012.
Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes gave a warning to any others like the defendant. “When you steal from programs funded by taxpayers’ dollars, such as public assistance and Medicaid/Medicare, I will commit whatever resources it takes to build the case against you and my staff stands ready to prosecute that case to the fullest extent of the law,” he said.
Undercover investigators went to Ilyayev’s pharmacy to fill prescriptions. Sometimes Ilyayev only partially filled the prescriptions. On one occasion he dispensed 20 Insentress pills for a prescription of 60 and only 2 Reyataz pills for a prescription of 30.
Ilyayev also gave kickbacks to some patients for bringing in prescriptions. Some people were offered commissions for bringing in other Medicaid recipients to participate in the scheme.
Ilyayev was charged with health care fraud, grand larceny, and with falsifying business records, among other charges. If convicted he faces up to 15 years in prison in addition to the restitution of the stolen funds.
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