A licensed pharmacist was charged today with defrauding an insurance company of at least $237,000 by filing fraudulent claims and pocketing the proceeds, said Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow.
Victor H. Fakondo DOB: 10/19/1956 of Hanson Ave in Piscataway worked part time at an Elizabeth pharmacy where, according to the investigation, he submitted at least 290 false claims to insurance company MedCo, said Romankow.
According to the investigation, Fakondo worked at the Margarita Pharmacy between June 2008 and August 2009 as a pharmacist. In September 2009 MedCo called the pharmacy asking about a claim. The owner of the pharmacy had no record of the claim in the computer system and ran an audit of Fakondo’s transactions and found the widespread fraud.
“There were pages and pages of fraudulent invoices created and submitted by Mr. Fakondo,” said Romankow who noted that the pharmacy never actually received any prescription drugs.
Some of the claims were made out in the names of Fakondo’s wife and children. At this point in the investigation, Romankow said, it is unclear what the pharmacist did with the money.
Members of the Union County Prosecutor’s Office Insurance Fraud Unit served Fakondo with the complaint at his home this afternoon. He is charged with: 2nd Degree insurance fraud, 2nd Degree theft by deception and 3rd Degree forgery.
Arrested today.
Based on the charges, he faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted on all the charges.
This remains an active investigation. |
