The co-owner and administrator of a Union City, New Jersey pharmacy have been sentenced for their roles in schemes to defraud pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and health care providers, including Medicare and Medicaid, amounting to over $65 million. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Alina Habba.
Samuel “Sam” Khaimov, 52, and Yana Shtindler, 48, both residents of Glen Head, New York, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp after pleading guilty to the charges. Khaimov received an 87-month prison sentence—60 months for conspiring to commit health care fraud and an additional 27 months for violating the federal anti-kickback statute. His sentence includes three years of supervised release.
Shtindler was sentenced to 72 months in prison for conspiracy to commit health care fraud, followed by three years of supervised release. Co-defendants Ruben Sevumyants from Marlboro, New Jersey, and Alex Fleyshmakher from Morganville, New Jersey have pled guilty to related charges and await sentencing.
The Prime Aid Pharmacies in Union City, New Jersey and the Bronx, New York were involved in processing expensive medications for conditions such as Hepatitis C and rheumatoid arthritis. Khaimov co-owned Prime Aid Union City and served as lead pharmacist at Prime Aid Bronx. Shtindler was the administrator at Prime Aid Union City.
Beginning in 2009, Khaimov along with Sevumyants and Fleyshmakher engaged in paying bribes to doctors for prescription referrals. These bribes took various forms including cash payments and expensive meals.
Prime Aid Union City also billed health benefit providers for medications not provided to patients. From 2013 through 2017 alone, they received at least $65 million from Medicare and other health benefit providers without dispensing or stocking the medications.
Routine audits conducted by PBMs revealed these fraudulent practices leading Shtindler to instruct employees to falsify records while Sevumyants forged shipping records with her approval.
U.S. Attorney Habba acknowledged the efforts of multiple agencies including special agents from the FBI under Special Agent Stefanie Roddy; IRS-Criminal Investigation under Special Agent Jenifer Piovesan; Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General under Special Agent Naomi Gruchacz; N.J. Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor under Tracy M. Thompson; and N.J. Office of State Comptroller under Kevin Walsh.
The case is prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron L. Webman from Newark’s Economic Crimes Unit and Martha K. Nye from Trenton’s U.S Attorney’s Office.
Khaimov’s defense counsel is Jenny Kramer from New York while Shtindler is represented by Lawrence Lustberg from Newark.
