WayneCo. Pharmacist, brother guilty of healthcare and wire fraud

A Wayne County pharmacist and his brother were found guilty of health care and wire fraud, federal authorities said.

Raad Kouza and his brother, Ramis Kouza, were found guilty by a federal jury on Friday of health care fraud and wire fraud, U.S. Department of Justice officials said. Raad Kouza was also found guilty of health care fraud.

An attorney for the Kouza brothers was not immediately available for comment Thursday.

Sentencing for the two men has not yet been planned, authorities said.

Both face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on the fraud conspiracy charge, while Raad Kouza faces an additional 10 years in prison for health care fraud, authorities said.

Authorities alleged the two men billed Medicare, Medicaid and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for prescription drugs they did not dispense at pharmacies they owned or operated in the state.

Raad, a Wayne County resident, was a licensed pharmacist and owned ER Drugs and Seaway Pharmacy in Taylor and Foodtown Drugs in Monroe, according to a federal indictment. His brother, an Oakland County resident, was a manager for ER Drugs.

Together, they defrauded Medicare, Medicaid and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan out of more than $15 million, prosecutors said. Their scheme ran from 2010 to 2019, according to a federal indictment.

Both were charged in connection with the operation in September 2020.

Two men are the latest Metro Detroiters to be charged with health insurance fraud.

In September, a couple from Macomb County — Noli and Isabel TcruzBoth Washington Township owners of home health care companies were sentenced to prison for Medicare fraud and tax evasion.

In June, Six people with Michigan ties charged in a federal crackdown on health care fraud. They were among 193 people charged by prosecutors in various scams that defrauded the federal government of nearly $3 billion through false insurance claims.

A seventh person, a Kalamazoo doctor, pleaded guilty to defrauding Medicare of more than $794,000.

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X: @CharlesERamirez

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