Pharmacist Bought Prada Gear With Medicaid Cash, Prosecutor Says

TRIBECA, NY — The state attorney general is charging a Manhattan pharmacist for allegedly bilking the state Medicaid program out of millions of dollars.

Hin Wong, a pharmacist and the owner of NY Pharmacy, constructed an elaborate fraud scheme that allowed her to pocket millions of dollars of Medicaid money, New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman charged on Thursday. Schneiderman said that Wong paid kickbacks to patients and billed Medicaid for HIV medications that were never dispensed. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

"Stealing from Medicaid in order to purchase fancy accessories and travel tickets is absolutely shameful," Schneiderman said in a statement. "We will not allow Medicaid to serve as a personal piggy bank for criminals."

Over a nearly five year period, Wong billed Medicaid and other insures for more than $15 million in medications, but actually purchased just a fraction of the drugs she claimed she had, the attorney general said. Wong also paid undercover investigators posing as patients kickbacks for referring patients and for bringing HIV prescriptions to her pharmacy, according to prosecutors. Schneiderman says Wong used some of the money to pay for Prada and Louis Vuitton accessories, expensive furniture and travel expenses.

In addition to the criminal charges, Schneiderman's office filed a lawsuit seeking $11 million in damages.

Wong faces up to seven years in prison if convicted of grand larceny in the third degree, the top charge, authorities said. Schneiderman's office said she might still be charged with additional crimes as the investigation continues.

Two of Wong's pharmacies have closed. NY Pharmacy is located at 131 Walker St. Patch was not immediately able to contact an attorney for Wong because she had not yet been arraigned.

Lead image via John Moore / Staff / Getty Images News.