Old Town Pharmacy Owner and Pharmacy Technician Indicted on 34 Counts Related to Medicaid Fraud, Forgery, Identity Theft

Counts one through 26 in the indictment allege that between May 3, 2018 and March 18, 2019, defendants Becker and Ortega-Saucedo knowingly made a false statement to receive a healthcare payment from MO HealthNet, Missouri’s Medicaid provider.   Counts 27 through 32 in the indictment allege that defendants Becker and Ortega-Saucedo forged several Medicaid recipients’ prescriptions.   Count 33 of the indictment alleges that defendants Becker and Ortega-Saucedo knowingly used MO HealthNet DCN numbers for six Medicaid recipients to appropriate approximately $25,000 from MO HealthNet.   Count 34 of the indictment alleges that defendants Becker and Ortega-Saucedo knowingly made false statements to MO HealthNet to receive a payment of approximately $25,000.   The Old Town Pharmacy is located in Monett, Missouri. The case is being handled by the Missouri Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Cole County Prosecuting Attorney. Assistant Attorney General Ashley Ray is prosecuting the case for the Attorney General’s Office with the assistance of AGO investigators Michael Irey and Dana Murdock.   The Missouri MFCU receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $2,818,808 for Federal fiscal year 2021. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $939,601 is funded by the State of Missouri.   The charges against Becker and Ortega-Saucedo are allegations and, as in all criminal cases, the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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