Western Kentucky pharmacist sentenced to prison for $2M in fraudulent prescriptions

A western Kentucky pharmacist was sentenced to prison for his role in a four-year, $2 million health care fraud scheme.

Last November, 47-year-old Michael Shawn Boaz of Clinton pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and fraudulent prescriptions.

According to court documents, Boaz and 42-year-old Christopher Clayton Augustus fraudulently billed health care benefit programs for customers at two Kentucky pharmacies.

From 2017 to 2021, they submitted claims of more than $2 million for the fraudulent and unauthorized prescriptions.

Authorities said Boaz added vitamins to customers’ prescription orders and claimed they were free, but then he billed their health care providers between $1,000 and $6,000 for each bottle.

Boaz also submitted claims for fraudulent and unauthorized prescriptions for Carbinoxamine Maleate. Boaz bought the antihistamine from a wholesaler for $605 per prescription, but billed health care providers between $2,000 and $16,000.

Boaz was sentenced to 30 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release for one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and 13 counts of fraudulent prescriptions. He was also ordered to pay restitution of $1.8 million.

Augustus pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, fraudulent prescriptions and aggravated identity theft. He is awaiting sentencing.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Labor, Kentucky Attorney General’s Office of Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control and the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy.