Lucky Care Pharmacy, located at 37-20 Prince St.
March 17, 2021 By Christian Murray
A Brooklyn-based pharmacist with drug stores in Gravesend and Flushing has been indicted for ripping off Medicaid and Medicare in order pay for a luxury lifestyle that included the purchase of a 2020 Porsche.
Robert John Sabet, 44, was indicted in Brooklyn federal court Monday for healthcare fraud, paying kick backs and for spending his ill-gotten gains. He brought in millions of dollars through the fraudulent scheme, according to court records unsealed today.
Sabet, who owns Lucky Care Pharmacy in Flushing and Brooklyn Chemists in Gravesend, allegedly billed Medicare and Medicaid for expensive brand name drugs, yet in many instances did not dispense them or they were never prescribed to his customers in the first place.
He paid bogus customers cash, according to the indictment, in exchange for allowing him to bill their insurance through Medicaid and Medicare. His employees allegedly worked with him on the scheme, organizing illegal cash payments to his so-called customers.
“The defendant’s alleged participation in health care fraud, and his payment of kickbacks and bribes, corrupted the trusted relationship between pharmacies and patients, and potentially harmed the very people that the Medicare and Medicaid programs are intended to serve,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney DuCharme.
Sabet allegedly defrauded taxpayers, since Medicare and Medicaid are both government programs that cover the healthcare costs of seniors, the disabled and low income residents.
According to the court documents, he billed Medicare and Medicaid to the tune of $2 million in fraudulent claims via his Lucky Care Pharmacy between December 2019 and January 2021. Meanwhile, Brooklyn Chemists was paid more than $4 million by Medicaid between September 2016 and December 2020.
He used nearly $100,000 from his gains to buy his 2020 Porsche Taykan, according to court documents.
Sabet faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for conspiracy to commit health fraud; five years in prison for conspiracy to pay kickbacks and bribes; and 10 years in prison for unlawful spending.
