A Queens man was found guilty of health care fraud and money laundering after he engaged in a scheme to bill Medicare for hundreds of fake prescriptions through his Rego Park pharmacy, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York announced on Thursday, Feb. 27.
Yuriy Barayev, 45, faces up to 10 years in prison for his one count of health care fraud and up to 20 years in prison for each of the seven counts of money laundering he was found guilty of.
From November 2013 until December 2015, Barayev, who operated Woodhaven Rx – located at 62-06A Woodhaven Blvd. in Rego Park – submitted claims for hundreds of medications to Medicare which were never dispensed to patients, according to US Attorney Richard Donoghue.
Barayev then laundered the Medicare money through a shell company set up under his wife’s name, Donoghue said. As proven during the four day trial, Barayev spent the money on himself, his family and his friends.
Barayev’s case was prosecuted by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, which leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force.
The strike force has charged more than 3,800 defendants, who have collectively billed approximately $15 billion to Medicare using allegedly fraudulent claims. Over 2,600 of those defendants pleaded guilty and 338 were convicted in jury trials, according to Donoghue.
