After being convicted on various drug charges last October, former pharmacist Peter Victor Ayika has pleaded guilty to charges that he submitted false claims to Medicaid, a number of private insurance providers, and the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program for drugs he did not dispense. He was sentenced to 63 months in prison on the fraud charges alone, as reported by the El Paso Times.
Between the Medicaid fraud charges and charges of selling pseudoephedrine to an undercover DEA agent and possession with intent to distribute hydrocodone, Mr. Ayika was sentenced to a total of 14 years in prison and $2.5 million total in restitution. In addition, prosecutors are attempting to seize the proceeds of Mr. Ayika’s fraudulent billing for prescription drugs, which may amount to over $1 million.
Continental Pharmacy, which was owned and operated by Mr. Ayika, was closed soon after he was arrested in March 2009.
Waters & Kraus is a national firm with highly skilled lawyers practicing qui tam litigation in four offices, including Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Baltimore. Our attorneys have decades of experience successfully representing whistleblowers in a variety of fraud cases. Contact us or call our attorneys at 800.226.9880 to learn more about our practice and how we can assist.
