Tue. Oct 8th, 2024
a person with handcuffs holding a sign that says fraud

Gisele Nguyen, a pharmacist residing in Huntington Beach, California, has agreed to pay $3,933,993 to resolve allegations that she fraudulently billed the Medicare Program for medications that were never dispensed.

The United States alleged that, from at least Jan. 1, 2014, through Dec. 31, 2018, Nguyen, by and through the operation of Gisele Nguyen, Inc., doing business as Natico Pharmacy, which was located in Garden Grove, California, fraudulently submitted claims to Part D of the Medicare Program for prescription medications that were never dispensed to beneficiaries. According to the United States, inventory records showed that Natico Pharmacy did not purchase enough of these medications from wholesaler distributors to fill all of the prescriptions billed to Medicare.

“Federal health care programs provide critical health care services to millions of Americans,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will hold accountable those who seek to defraud these programs, including by billing for goods or services that they did not provide.”

The resolution obtained in this matter was handled by the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

The matter was investigated by Senior Trial Counsel Jennifer Cihon, with assistance from Assistant U.S Attorney Zoran J. Segina for the Central District of California.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.



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Art Pedroza Editor
Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

By Art Pedroza

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

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