An Avon pharmacist is sentenced to probation in a massive Medicare fraud case,
Roy D. Katz, 52, pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of vendor fraud for cheating the government by charging bogus fees to fill prescriptions, according to the Associated Press. The scam is estimated to have cost $3.2 million in bogus fees.
Katz also agreed to pay more than a $1 million as part of a plea agreement reached,
Katz is a former President of the Connecticut Pharmaceutical Association. As part of the plea deal, Katz and his former business, RG Pharmacy in Manchester, agreed to pay $1.15 million to resolve charges that they overbilled Medicare and Medicaid.
As part of the settlement, Katz and RG Pharmacy did not admit liability. The pharmacy has been under new ownership since February 2009.
The deal also prohibits RG Pharmacy and Katz from participating in any government health-care program for at least 7 years.
