adminMatthew Tedesco, 42, a pharmaceutical sales representative from Linwood, New Jersey, pleaded guilty on August 17, 2017, to conspiring to commit health care fraud. His admission marked the ninth plea in a significant health care fraud case involving fraudulent claims for medically unnecessary prescriptions targeting New Jersey’s state health benefits programs.
Scheme Overview:
- Recruitment and Execution: Tedesco and his co-conspirators recruited public employees—including teachers, firefighters, police officers, and state troopers—to obtain expensive, medically unnecessary compounded medications from an out-of-state pharmacy. These prescriptions included pain medications, scar creams, antifungal creams, libido creams, and vitamins. The prescriptions were filled without proper medical evaluations, leading to substantial financial losses.
- Financial Impact: The fraudulent activities resulted in insurers, including New Jersey’s state health benefits programs, paying out millions of dollars for these unnecessary prescriptions. Tedesco personally received a significant portion of the fraudulent proceeds.
Legal Proceedings:
- Sentencing: Tedesco faced a maximum prison term of 10 years, with sentencing guidelines suggesting a term of 46 to 57 months. Sentencing was scheduled for a later date following his plea.
This case underscores the ongoing efforts by authorities to address fraudulent activities within the health care industry in New Jersey.
Please note that legal proceedings are ongoing, and details may evolve as new information emerges.
