Five more people have been named in a wide-reaching enterprise that bilked millions from state health benefit programs and other insurers.
Burlington County doctors Daniel Oswari and Michael Goldis were named in a 33-count indictment along with lab worker Steven Monaco and Goldis' medical assistant Aaron Jones.
All four men are charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud.
A fifth man, Mercer County physician's assistant Jason Checker, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. He is the 25th to plead guilty.
Monaco and Oswari are additionally charged in which Monaco arranged for the blood and urine testing lab he worked for to hire Oswari's medical assistant as a phlebotomist, while he still worked for Oswari.
In return for the assistant's free services for more than two years, Oswari referred his blood and urine smaples to Monaco's employer, according to the indictment.
Monaco would get a commission from the insurance payments made for these tests. The Sewell man also paid kickbacks to Oswari for writing prescriptions for compound medications and received money from the resulting insurance payments.
Monaco, Oswari, and Goldis also are each charged with individual acts of health care fraud and wire fraud, and Jones was charged with 10 false statement counts. Monaco and Oswari were charged with a conspiracy involving kickbacks for referrals for laboratory work.
Checker, 36, of Festerville, Pennsylvania, admitted that he and his conspirators recruited individuals who had prescription drug benefits through the Pharmacy Benefits Administrator. Checker would sign prescriptions for individuals he never me or evaluated. He also paid one person to receive compound medications. Checker was then paid $3,200 and other valuable items.
He faces as long as 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. He is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 5.
According to the indictment against the four men, Richard Zappala -- who previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud -- had agreements to receive a percentage of the amount that Compounding Pharmacies 1 and 2 received for prescriptions obtained by Zappala and his associates. Zappala had Monaco and other conspirators find people who would agree to receive prescriptions for compounded medications.
He is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 13.
The health care fraud and wire fraud conspiracy count and the wire fraud count carries a maximum of 20 years in prison.
Each health care fraud count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
The kickbacks conspiracy count and the false statement counts each carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Each count also carries a potential $250,000 fine, or twice the gain or loss from the offense.
Dr. John Gaffney, 55, of Linwood: Margate doctor must forfeit $25,000. Cost: $24.9 million
Mike Pepper, 45, of Northfield: Atlantic City firefighter must forfeit $113,627.54. Cost: $719,000
Nicholas Tedesco, 44, of Linwood: local candy retailer must forfeit $782,766.56. Cost: $2 million
Tara LaMonaca, 43, of Linwood: Pharmaceutical representative must forfeit $89,855.13. Cost: $530,527
William Hunter, 43, of Sewell: Salesman must forfeit $245,020.08. Cost: $1.3 million
Judd Holt, 42, of Marlton: Pharmaceutical representative must forfeit $95,574.49. Cost: $769,762
Steven Urbanski, 37, of Marlton: Pharmaceutical representative must forfeit $113,600. Cost: $250,000
Corey Sutor, 37, of Ventnor: Ventnor firefighter, must forfeit $150,397.79. Cost: $2 million.
