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Western District of Kentucky
Department of Justice United States Attorney David L. Huber |
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| Contact: Sandy Focken Phone: (502) 582-5911 Fax: (502) 582-5097 |
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August 20, 2008
MORE GUILTY PLEAS ENTERED BY LOUISVILLE MEN FOR HEALTH CARE FRAUD
– Pharmacist and drug company rep pled to an information charging them with buying and selling prescription drug samples
LOUISVILLE, KY - Michael Carney, age 60, and Joseph Ivan Rouben, age 79, of Louisville, Kentucky, in Jefferson County, pled guilty to charges of health care fraud and prohibited drug acts, U.S. Attorney David L. Huber of the Western District of Kentucky announced today.
The men admitted that between 2003 and 2006 they were engaged in the sale or trading of prescription drug samples. Carney, worked as a drug company representative and sold prescription drug samples at Rouben's Pharmacy. Rouben was pharmacist at Rouben's Pharmacy, and he purchased and later sold sample drug samples to the pharmacy. Carney had been paid $177,752 and Rouben had been paid $58,090 by the owner, Brian Ullom, for their role in the purchase and later sale of the samples. Once the samples were purchased, they were placed in the pharmacy's inventory. These samples were later sold to consumers whose insurance companies, including Medicare and Medicaid, were billed full price. The owner of the pharmacy, Brian Ullom, has previously pled guilty to the purchase of the drug samples and is scheduled to be sentenced on September 12, 2008. Another defendant, George Deusner pled guilty to charges in an Information and is scheduled to be sentenced on September 16, 2008, in Louisville, Kentucky.
Carney entered a guilty plea to the charges on Monday, August 18, 2008. Rouben entered a guilty plea to the charges on Wednesday, August 20, 2008. Both defendants entered their pleas before Judge Thomas Russell. Sentencing for both defendants is scheduled for January 20, 2009. The maximum potential penalties are 20 years imprisonment, a $500,000 fine, and supervised release for a period of up to 3 years.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lettricea Jefferson-Webb, and it was investigated by the United States Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations, Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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The charge of a person by Information is an accusation only and that
person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.