The owners of a Bronx pharmacy bilked the federal government out of nearly $10 million in the past year — by preying on cash-strapped Medicaid patients with HIV, convincing them to sell back their lifesaving drugs, officials said Tuesday.
The suspects then splurged on pricey goodies for themselves such as a Maserati, two BMWs and a Mercedes-Benz, authorities said.
“These defendants abused the fundamental trust between health-care providers and patients by putting their own greed above the health needs of the patients,” Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a written statement.
“This blatant theft and abuse of one of our state’s most important health-care programs is reprehensible and will not be tolerated.”
The owners and a pharmacist at 184th Street Pharmacy in University Heights recruited HIV-stricken patients by offering them $20 to $200 a pop for their anti-retroviral medication, officials said.
The pharmacy allegedly billed Uncle Sam for thousands of dollars for the same drugs.
The $9.8 million fraud began March 1, 2013, and involved at least eight illegal drug buybacks between October and February, officials said.
The fraudsters funneled money through a Citibank account to a slew of sham medical companies, authorities alleged.
The scam appears to have unraveled amid complaints to the government agencies.
Busted on felony charges Tuesday were store owners Ahmed Hamed, 37, of Bayside, Queens, and Tarek Elsayed, 48, of Elmhurst, Queens, as well as supervising pharmacist Mohammed Hassan Ahmed, 36, of Elmhurst.
All were charged with grand larceny and scheming to defraud the government. The two owners also were charged with money-laundering.
The owners could face up to 18 years if convicted on all charges. Ahmed could get up to seven years.
“This is beyond understanding, because this is where we come to get our medications,’’ said HIV patient Nadine Lavan, 53, outside the pharmacy Tuesday.
“I trusted these people. It’s very upsetting to me,’’ said Lavan, who added that she was never offered the deal.
“I think it’s stupid, because today’s medications are working and giving people a chance to live longer. Why would you sell your medication unless you have a death wish?”
Additional reporting by Elizabeth Hagen and Kate Sheehy