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Date: 10-24-2020
Case Style:
Case Number: :20-cr-237
Judge: Claude M. Hilton
Court: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (Fairfield County)
Plaintiff's Attorney: United States District Attorney’s Office, Alexandria, Virginia
Defendant's Attorney:
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Description: Alexandria, Virginia health care fraud conspiracy criminal defense lawyer represented Onkur Lal, who was charged by the United States of America with conspiracy to commit health care fraud that resulted in losses of over $3.5 million.
According to court documents, Onkur Lal, 29, worked in various roles at MedEx Pharmacy, MedEx Health Pharmacy, and Royal Care Pharmacy, which were all owned and operated by the same individual. From around 2014 to around 2019, Lal conspired with the owner and others in a number of different fraudulent schemes to defraud health care benefit programs, including TRICARE, Medicare, Virginia Medicaid, and Maryland Medicaid. Lal took part in a number of fraudulent schemes, including generating false prescriptions, billing health insurance companies for prescriptions that were never filled, and billing patients’ health care benefit programs for numerous high cost medications that he and his co-conspirators knew were not prescribed and/or never received.
Lal and his conspirators also submitted false invoices under the names of other pharmacies, in an attempt to circumvent audits. Further, Lal and another co-conspirator fraudulently posed as pharmacists by elevating their title and credentials within the pharmacy’s prescription software system. Lal and his co-conspirator then used these elevated titles to verify prescriptions, which they then submitted to health care benefit programs and pharmaceutical suppliers for payment. The various schemes resulted in health care benefit programs losing more than $3.5 million.
Lal is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 21, 2021, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Maureen R. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge of the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); James A. Dawson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division; and Christopher Dillard, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service's Mid-Atlantic Field Office, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton accepted the plea.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Monika Moore, Carina A. Cuellar, and Jamar K. Walker are prosecuting the case.
18:371 Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud (FORFEITURE)
(1)
Outcome: 10/20/2020 2 WAIVER OF INDICTMENT by Onkur Lal. (jlan) (Entered: 10/20/2020)
10/20/2020 3 INFORMATION as to Onkur Lal (1) count 1. (jlan) (Entered: 10/20/2020)
10/20/2020 4 Redacted Criminal Case Cover Sheet (jlan) (Entered: 10/20/2020)
10/20/2020 5 Minute Entry for proceedings held before District Judge Claude M. Hilton: Plea Agreement Hearing as to Onkur Lal held on 10/20/2020. US appeared through: Carina Cuellar. Deft appeared w/counsel David Benowitz. Deft PG to the Criminal Information filed. Plea entered by Reginal Zayas and Accepted; Guilty Count 1. Deft referred to PO for PSIR and sentencing set for 02/19/2021 at 09:00 AM in Alexandria Courtroom 800 before District Judge Claude M. Hilton. Deft placed on PR bond. (Court Reporter: J. Egal)(jlan) (Entered: 10/20/2020)
10/20/2020 6 PLEA AGREEMENT as to Onkur Lal. (jlan) (Entered: 10/20/2020)
10/20/2020 7 Under Seal Statement of Facts(jlan) (Entered: 10/20/2020)
10/20/2020 8 Redacted Statement of Facts as to Onkur Lal. (jlan) (Entered: 10/20/2020)
10/20/2020 9 ORDER Setting Conditions of Release as to Onkur Lal (1). Signed by District Judge Claude M. Hilton on 10/20/2020. (jlan) (Entered: 10/20/2020)
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
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