CAMDEN, N.J. – Two New Jersey men pleaded guilty today to defrauding New Jersey state and local health benefits programs and other insurers by submitting fraudulent claims for medically unnecessary prescriptions, Attorney for the United States Vikas Khanna announced.
John Sher, 40, of Margate, New Jersey, and Christopher Broccoli, 50, of West Deptford, New Jersey, both pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler to superseding informations charging them each with one count each of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Sher and Broccoli were part of a criminal conspiracy in which state and local government employees were recruited and compensated to receive medically unnecessary compound prescription medications. Sher and Broccoli caused the pharmacy benefits administrator to pay out millions of dollars for medically unnecessary compound prescription medications for individuals they recruited into the scheme. Sher directly received $327,897 and Broccoli directly received $150,315 from the scheme.
Sher and Broccoli were previously charged in March of 2019 alongside others in an indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud and other offenses. Conspiracy leader William Hickman pleaded guilty in June of 2020 to defrauding New Jersey health benefits programs and other insurers out of more than $50 million. Conspirator Michael Sher pled guilty in March of…
