The owners of San Marino's plead not guilty at their federal court arraignment last Monday to charges of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, defense attorney Victor Sherman told Patch Sunday.
Sherman, who represents Huntington Pharmacy co-owner Phic K. Lim, said the arraignment was pushed up from Dec. 5 to last Monday and all defendants plead not guilty.
Lim, his wife and co-owner Theana Khou and 14 others--including a doctor--were arrested during a raid on various locations in October, culminating a two-year sting operation that began with the , who eventually got federal agencies involved.
“This is the first case in the nation alleging an organized scheme to defraud government health care programs through fraudulent claims for anti-psychotic medications, a type of scheme that investigators say is on the increase around the nation,” said the U.S. Attorney’s Office in October.
The scheme involved several pharmacies, though Huntington Pharmacy is alleged as being the primary offender, and caused $7.3 million in actual losses to the Medicare and Medi-Cal programs.
Huntington Pharmacy re-opened for business shortly after the arrests.
Lim was released on a $100,000 bond after his arrest and Khou was released on a $50,000 bond, according to United States Attorney's Office spokesman Thom Mrozek, who declined to comment to Patch in November on what the Drug Enforcement Administration possibly found in Huntington Pharmacy during the raid.
Lim and Khou face trial on Oct. 9, according to Sherman.
See reaction from a nurse who worked at the pharmacy, customers and others here.
What do you think of Huntington Pharmacy's owners being charged with this crime? Have you continued to shop at Huntington Pharmacy?
