New Boston Rx Pharmacy, formerly located at 19162 Huron River Drive in downtown New Boston, was reported as being part of a massive $46 million scheme to submit co-pay claims for medications that were never prescribed. (Photo: Facebook)

By Scott Bolthouse | The Huron Hub
ScottBolthouse@HuronHub.com
Posted Dec. 23, 2019 — 12:00 PM EST

The owner of a local shuttered pharmacy is accused of being part of a major co-pay scheme involving multiple pharmacies across Metro Detroit.

New Boston Rx Pharmacy, formerly located at 19162 Huron River Drive in downtown New Boston, was reported as being part of a massive $46 million scheme to submit co-pay claims for medications that were never prescribed.

In total, 26 pharmacies in 15 different cities across Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties are involved in the scheme.

Authorities say Hussein Abdallah, Mohamad Abou-Khodr, Daniel Haidar, Nabil Chehadeh, Ali El-Moussawi, Bassem Farhat, Hussein Wazne, Bahia Zeidan, Linda Fawaz and Suzan Berro were involved in the scheme, beginning in July 2014.

Officials said the 10 people listed knowingly conspired together in a scheme to defraud co-pay assistance programs by submitting claims for fake prescriptions.

They allegedly submitted claims totaling at least $46 million between January 2014 and November 2019.

Abou-Khodr was the businessperson who owned New Boston Rx Pharmacy.

Abou-Khodr is accused of submitting false co-pay assistance coupons for fake prescriptions.

The group is accused of making money for themselves by submitting requests for reimbursement from pharmaceutical manufacturers for medication that wasn’t prescribed by doctors or dispensed by pharmacists.

The people involved then hid the false claims and diverted the funds for their own personal benefit and the benefit of their co-conspirators.

Those involved in the conspiracy will be ordered to forfeit any property or money gained from the scheme, if convicted.

New Boston Rx Pharmacy started transferring customer prescriptions to other pharmacies in July 2018, and closed their doors for business soon after.

Read this full WDIV-Local 4 report about the entire scheme