Virginia pharmacist convicted in $1M Medicare fraud scheme

Feb. 9 (UPI) -- A Virginia pharmacist was convicted Thursday by a federal jury in Florida for his role in defrauding Medicare of more than $1 million in prescription drug benefits, the Justice Department announced.

Ronald A. Beasley II, 33, was convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and three counts of health care fraud, the Justice Department said in a news release.

Beasley was the pharmacist in charge at NH Pharma, a pharmacy located in Lake Mary, Florida, according to court documents.

He and his co-conspirators, who were not identified in the news release, were found to have billed Medicare for expensive drug creams that they never actually bought or distributed; instead, Beasley and his co-conspirators gave patients an inexpensive drug cream not covered by Medicare, authorities said.

"Inventory records showed that NH Pharma did not buy enough of the expensive prescription drugs to fill all the prescriptions NH Pharma billed to Medicare," federal prosecutors said in the statement.

"In total, Beasley and his co-conspirators received more than $1 million in fraudulent proceeds from Medicare."

Beasley is scheduled to be sentenced on April 25 and faces up to 10 years in prison for each count.