Attorney General Dave Sunday has announced that two key figures in a substantial Medicaid fraud scheme involving Broad Street Pharmacy in South Philadelphia have pled guilty and received state prison sentences this week.
Peter Dello Buono, who managed the daily operations of the pharmacy, and Frank Bengermino, the in-store pharmacist, both aged 70, were sentenced for their roles in a scheme that defrauded state and federal healthcare programs.
Dello Buono is set to serve a prison term of 2 to 5 years, with additional stipulations that prohibit him from owning, operating, or working at any pharmacy in the future. He is also excluded from participating in Medicaid and Medicare programs.
Similarly, Bengermino will serve a prison sentence of 1½ to 5 years under the same conditions enforced upon Dello Buono.
The fraudulent activities involved billing Medicare and Medicaid for expensive medications that were never genuinely acquired or dispensed by the pharmacy, showcasing a manipulative scheme that prioritized monetary gain over the health and welfare of patients.
Attorney General Sunday remarked, “This was a years-long conspiracy that defrauded state and federal programs designed to help people and families in need, and ripped off taxpayers who fund those programs. This criminal enterprise prioritized personal greed over the well-being of Pennsylvanians. I credit our team, the grand jurors, and investigative partners for seeing this case through to a just resolution that sends a message that Medicaid fraud is far from a victimless crime.”
A collaborative investigation led by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General Medicaid Fraud Control Section and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General culminated in the sentencing of Dello Buono and Bengermino, following a presentment issued last year by the Fiftieth Statewide Investigating Grand Jury.
In total, nine individuals were charged in connection to this case, with seven, including Dello Buono and Bengermino, pleading guilty this week. Elizabeth Thompson, aged 70 and the owner of Broad Street Pharmacy (and Dello Buono’s wife), has been sentenced to four years of probation under similar restrictions.
The court has also mandated that Dello Buono and Thompson collectively owe $12.25 million in restitution for their part in this extensive fraud case.
The investigation revealed that the conspiracy included paying kickbacks to consumers in exchange for returning medications to the pharmacy, often in the form of cash or other drugs.
It was reported that the combined fraudulent claims related to specific medications, particularly the antipsychotic Latuda and various high-reimbursement HIV medications, totaled more than $12 million, revealing serious malpractice within the pharmacy’s operation.
In addition to Dello Buono and Bengermino, other individuals charged include Berry Davis (59), Brian O’Hara (52), Michael McCue (68), all from Philadelphia; Christian Bengermino (36) from Folsom; and Evan Gusz (54) from Glenside, facing charges of Medicaid fraud, theft by deception, and other offenses.
Angelo Amorosi (62) of Philadelphia also faced charges involving unlawful proceeds and conspiracy.
With the exceptions of O’Hara and McCue, who still have pending cases, all defendants have pled guilty.
Broad Street Family Pharmacy, which was licensed to provide services to both Medicaid and Medicare clients, ceased operations shortly after law enforcement executed a search warrant at the location in the autumn of 2021.
According to investigators, the medications in question, notably Latuda and HIV treatments, constituted an estimated 86 percent of the pharmacy’s billings to Medicaid over the five-year period being examined.
image source from：https://pennwatch.org/ag-announces-guilty-pleas-in-12-million-medicaid-fraud-scheme-at-philadelphia-pharmacy/
