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TRENTON
- Attorney General Paula T. Dow and Criminal
Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor announced
that a Jersey City man was sentenced to
state prison today for distributing Percocet
pills last year.
According
to Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Riza
Dagli, Edward Harmon, 50, of Jersey City,
was sentenced to three years in state prison
by Superior Court Judge Kevin G. Callahan
in Hudson County. Harmon pleaded guilty
on April 23 to second-degree distribution
of narcotics.
In
pleading guilty to a criminal accusation,
Harmon admitted that on Dec. 21, 2009, he
distributed Percocet pills in an amount
greater that one ounce.
Harmon’s
plea resulted from Operation MedScam, an
ongoing investigation by the Office of the
Insurance Fraud Prosecutor’s Medicaid
Fraud Control Unit and the Jersey City Police
Department’s Special Investigation
Unit. Since October, more than 32 people,
including doctors and pharmacists, have
been arrested in the joint investigation,
which uncovered a major criminal narcotics
network based in Hudson County that distributed
thousands of black market prescription pain
pills such as OxyContin and Percocet. The
network was obtaining fraudulent narcotics
prescriptions and filling them at various
pharmacies. At the same time, Medicaid was
being billed for phony doctor visits and
prescription medicines that were never dispensed.
The
network allegedly distributed the prescription
pain pills throughout Hudson County and
other parts of the state, including Bergen,
Ocean, Morris and Monmouth counties. A single
30 milligram OxyContin pill, known as a
“blue,” typically sells for
$10 to $20 on the street, while a 10 milligram
Percocet pill sells for $5 to $8.
Detective
Kevin Gannon, Sgt. Frederick Weidman and
Deputy Attorneys General Debra A. Conrad
and Cynthia Vazquez were assigned to the
investigation into this case for OIFP’s
Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Deputy Attorneys
General Conrad prosecuted the case and represented
the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor
at the sentencing.
They
were assisted in the investigation by the
following members of the Jersey City Police
Department's Special Investigation Unit
under the supervision of Chief Thomas Comey:
Capt. Gary Lallo, Sgt. Anthony Musante,
Sgt. Wally Wolf, Detective Wael Shahid,
Detective Jeff Guilfoyle, Detective Vincent
Disbrow, Detective Hector Marrero, Police
Officer Alex Torres, Police Officer Chris
Dolan, and Police Officer Erik Infantes.
The
Medicaid program, which is funded by the
state and federal governments, provides
health care services and prescription drugs
to persons who may not otherwise be able
to afford such services and medicines. The
State of New Jersey administers the Medicaid
program through the Division of Medical
Assistance and Health Services and through
the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor’s
Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, which investigates
both criminal and civil Medicaid fraud and
abuse in that program.
Anyone
with information about fraud or abuse involving
the Medicaid program or Medicaid providers
is urged to call the Medicaid Fraud Control
Unit toll free at 1-877-55-FRAUD
or visit www.NJInsuranceFraud.org.
All information received will remain confidential.
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