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TRENTON
- Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal
Justice Director Gregory A. Paw announced
that a state grand jury has indicted an
East Orange pharmacist and two other men
on racketeering charges for their roles
in a stolen prescription drug scheme.
According
to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden
Brown, Charles Jyamfi, 53, of West Orange,
Pedro Diaz, 77, of Elizabeth, and Aiad Saman,
52, of Staten Island, N.Y., were each charged
with first-degree conspiracy to commit racketeering,
first-degree racketeering, second-degree
conspiracy to commit fencing, second-degree
fencing and second-degree receiving stolen
property. In addition, Jyamfi was charged
with first-degree money laundering, and
Saman with third-degree perjury. The indictment
was returned by the state grand jury on
July 27 but was sealed by the court until
yesterday afternoon.
The
indictment alleges that Jyamfi, a licensed
New Jersey pharmacist, ran his now defunct
pharmacy, Ojah Pharmacy in East Orange,
as a racketeer influenced and corrupt organization,
with assistance from Saman, Diaz and others.
Saman was also a licensed pharmacist. Between
August 2002 and October 2004, Jyamfi allegedly
purchased approximately $2 million in stolen
prescription drugs from Saman, Diaz, and
others. Jyamfi allegedly used the stolen
drugs to stock his pharmacy. He allegedly
sold the stolen medications, which were
sometimes improperly packaged and labeled,
to the general public, including persons
covered by Medicaid.
It
is alleged that Jyamfi was aided in purchasing
stolen drugs by former Ojah employees Verona
Boodram, 29, of Bloomfield, and Alpha Bangoura,
33, of Orange. Boodram and Bangoura were
convicted at trial in March 2006 of second-degree
health care claims fraud and two counts
of third-degree Medicaid fraud. Bangoura
was sentenced to six years in state prison,
and Boodram was sentenced to five and a
half years in state prison and ordered to
pay $21,500 in restitution.
Two
other individuals who sold stolen drugs
to Ojah Pharmacy were Stephen Dwamena and
Gayford Yaw. Dwamena was formerly a pharmacist
at Trinitas Hospital in Elizabeth and University
Hospital in Newark. Yaw was formerly a pharmacy
technician at Atlantic Health Systems/Morristown
Hospital and Ojah Pharmacy. In October 2006,
Dwamena pleaded guilty to a third-degree
theft charge for stealing prescription drugs
from his employers. He is scheduled to be
sentenced on Aug. 9. Yaw also pleaded guilty
to third-degree theft, for stealing prescription
drugs from Morristown Hospital. He was sentenced
on July 13 to serve three years of probation,
perform 100 hours of community service and
pay $13,468 in restitution.
The
investigation was coordinated by State Investigator
Jon Powers and Deputy Attorney General Riza
Dagli of the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor’s
Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Medicaid Auditor
Cleair Budhu assisted with the investigation.
Dagli presented the case to the grand jury,
and represented the state at the previous
trials in this investigation.
The
indictment is merely an accusation and the
defendants are presumed innocent until proven
guilty. The indictment was handed up to
Superior Court Judge Maria Marinari Sypek
in Mercer County.
First-degree
crimes carry a maximum sentence of up to
20 years in state prison and a criminal
fine of up to $200,000, while second-degree
crimes carry a maximum punishment of 10
years in prison and a fine of $150,000.
Third-degree crimes carry a maximum punishment
of five years in prison and a fine of $15,000.
This matter will be referred to the state
Board of Pharmacy for any actions deemed
appropriate with respect to the defendants’
licenses.
Prosecutor
Brown noted that some important cases have
started with anonymous tips. People who
are concerned about insurance cheating and
have information about a fraud can report
it anonymously by calling the toll-free
hotline 1-877-55-FRAUD
or visiting the Web site www.NJInsuranceFraud.org.
State regulations permit an award to be
paid to an eligible person who provides
information that leads to an arrest, prosecution
and conviction for insurance fraud.
The
Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor was
established by the Automobile Insurance
Cost Reduction Act of 1998. The office is
the centralized state agency that investigates
and prosecutes both civil and criminal insurance
fraud, as well as Medicaid fraud.
>>
View
Indictment (682k pdf) plug-in
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