Ex-NJ Firefighter Sentenced In Health Care Fraud Scheme

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - An Atlantic County man and former firefighter was sentenced to over three years in state prison and two years of supervised release for his role in a health care conspiracy that defrauded state health benefits programs, federal authorities said.

John Sher, 40, of Margate, previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud last year. During his sentencing Monday in Camden federal court, he was also ordered to pay $2.77 million in restitution and $327,987 in forfeiture.

Sher faced a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, Attorney for the United States Vikas Khanna said last year.

According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, Sher and Christopher Broccoli, 50, of West Deptford, were part of a criminal conspiracy where state and local government employees were recruited and compensated to receive “medically unnecessary” compound prescription medications, Khanna said.

The men prompted the pharmacy benefits administrator to pay out millions of dollars for medically unnecessary compound prescription medications for those they recruited into the scheme, Khanna said. Sher directly received $327,897 from the scheme.

Sher and Broccoli were both charged in March 2019 on an indictment with others with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud and other offenses, Khanna said. The scheme's leader, William Hickman, pleaded guilty in June 2020 to defrauding New Jersey health benefits programs and other insurers out of more than $50 million and is awaiting sentencing, Khanna said.

Two others involved, also from Atlantic County, previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit health care fraud in the same scheme. Read More: 2 Atlantic Co. Men Admit To Health Care Fraud: Officials