Columbia Man Indicted for Health Fraud, Identity Theft

A Columbia man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for a health care scheme in which he and his co-defendants are accused of filing fake requests for refills at the pharmacy they worked at, pocketing the profit.

According to a statement from the US State’s Attorney’s Office in Maryland,  Jigar Patel, 27, of Columbia; Reddy Vijay Annappareddy, 45, of Fallston; and Vipinkumar Patel, 30, of Edgewood cost the health care system more than $2.5 million. 

Annapareddy owns Pharmacare, LLC and Caremerica, LLC, a chain of pharmacies in Maryland. According to the statement, the two Patels met while working at Pharmacare locations in Bel Air. 

According to the indictment, beginning in at least 2007, the three defendants would request refill prescriptions for customers who had them remaining, using the customers’ name’s and insurance ID numbers. The customers’ insurance or benefit program would then reimburse the pharmacy.

Since the customers had not actually requested refills, the defendants allegedly re-stocked the medications that were not picked up by customers.

According to the indictment, the three cost the health care benefit programs they dealt with more than $2.5 million dollars. 

Each faces up to 10 years in prison for one charge of health care fraud and a minimum two years for aggravated identity theft as well as a $250,000 fine.