The Texas pharmacist was sentenced to more than 17 years in federal prison and was ordered to confiscate a record-breaking $405 million for his role in a massive healthcare fraud scheme.
Dehshid “David” Nourian, 62, of Plano, was sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison from February 21, and was ordered to pay more than $115 million in reparations. The forfeiture order issued on March 6 represents the largest ever protected by the Department of Justice Healthcare fraud force.
Read: FEMA AXES Staff to Politics at Hurricane Aid in Florida
According to court documents and trial evidence, Nourian and his co-conspirators coordinated plans to fraudulently claim the Ministry of Labor by submitting fraudulent claims of medically unnecessary composite cream. They paid millions of dollars in bribery and kickbacks to prescribe these expensive creams, which was filled by a pharmacy owned and operated by Nourian and his companions.
These compound creams were shown to have been mixed by teenagers who were not trained in unsanitary conditions and were billed to the government at an exorbitant price. Patients have proven cream inefficiency, and some patients have experienced side effects.
Read: National Orthotics for Coast-to-Coast Storms: Tornadoes, Wildfires, and even Lunar Eclipses
“Protecting victims and protecting public FISCs is two of the top priorities of the criminal sector,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, criminal director at the Department of Justice. “The last 17 years of sentence sends a clear message that investigating partners and shoulder-to-shoulder prosecutors will identify, investigate and prosecute the most sophisticated fraud schemes targeting taxpayer money and risky patients.”
The scheme took place between 2014 and 2017, resulting in over $145 million in fraudulent claims against the Department of Labor and Blue Cross Blue Shield. Nourian and his co-conspirators have tried to avoid a $24 million federal income tax by washing their revenues through a complex network of bank accounts and shell companies.
Read: Joselyn Nungarray Reborn as National Wildlife Haven to Evacuate Anahuac in Texas
The $405 million confiscated includes funds from securities accounts, bank accounts, Dallas and Austin properties and luxury cars.
The case was investigated by several agencies, including the U.S. Postal Service Inspector, the Labor Bureau of Inspector’s Office, the General’s Office of the Veterans Affairs Office, and the IRS Criminal Investigation.
Donate a little to the Tampa Free Press to help maintain independent journalism. Our customer contributions allow us to continue to provide high quality, local and national news coverage.
Connect with us: Follow Tampa Free Press on Facebook and Twitter to break news and updates.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter and make a hand-picked selection of top stories delivered directly to your inbox.
