Texas pharmacist pleads guilty to health care fraud conspiracy

Published 9:22 am Monday, May 2, 2022

Gulfport, Miss. – A Liberty, Texas woman pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca, Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey A. Breen of the Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Inspector General, South Central Field Office.

According to court documents, Jada Gilbert, 51, a Texas pharmacist, was charged by criminal Information with conspiring with others to participate in a scheme whereby Gilbert, as pharmacist-in-charge at Blue Ribbon Pharmacy, in Harris County, Texas, submitted or caused to be submitted fraudulent claims for high-adjudication pharmaceutical products that were not ordered or dispensed by her pharmacy to health care benefit programs and facilitated, together with others, the fraudulent concealment of these false claims by submitting fraudulent purchase documentation to pharmacy benefit managers as part of an audit to prevent the claw back of at least $330,000.00 paid due to the fraudulent submissions.

Gilbert is scheduled to be sentenced on August 1, 2022, and faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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The FBI, VA-OIG, and FDA-OCI are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathlyn R. Van Buskirk and Trial Attorney Sara Porter of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.