Maricopa County Resident Among Four Convicted in $13 Million Health Care Fraud Case

Raef Hamaed, a Scottsdale resident, was one of four individuals convicted in a massive $13 million health care fraud scheme.Photo byTingey Injury Law FirmonUnsplash

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Sept. 6 that a federal jury convicted four individuals, including Raef Hamaed of Scottsdale, for their involvement in a $13 million health care and wire fraud scheme.

The other defendants were Kindy Ghussin of Ohio, Ali Abdelrazzaq of Michigan, and Tarek Fakhuri of Canada.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the defendants conspired to defraud Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan by submitting false claims for prescription medications that were never dispensed at the pharmacies they owned in Michigan and Ohio.

The fraudulent claims resulted in significant financial losses for these health care programs, totaling over $13 million, according to court documents.

Hamaed faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for conspiracy, while Abdelrazzaq and Fakhuri each face up to 10 years in prison for their roles in the health care fraud, according to DOJ.

The DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case as part of its Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, which has been instrumental in combating health care fraud nationwide.

Launched in March 2007, the program has charged more than 5,400 defendants, resulting in the recovery of over $27 billion in fraudulently billed funds, according to DOJ.

Additionally, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General, continues to strengthen efforts to hold health care providers accountable for participating in fraudulent schemes and prevent future abuses within the health care system, according to DOJ.