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HADDONFIELD, NJ — A former pharmaceutical company employee from Haddonfield has admitted to accepting thousands of dollars in exchange for filling medically unnecessary prescriptions for compounded medications for herself and her husband, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said on Tuesday.

The actions of 39-year-old Julie Andresen resulted in the loss of $956,885, according to Fishman. On Tuesday, she pleaded guilty to an information charging her with conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

Andresen admitted that from September 2014 through September 2015, she received payments from a marketing business for filling and obtaining medically unnecessary prescription compounded medications for herself and her husband through the pharmaceutical company’s prescription drug benefit plan, according to documents filed in the case and statements made in court.

At social gatherings, Andresen admitted that she gave a doctor who was a close friend pre-printed forms listing compounded medications and ask the doctor to authorize the medications. The doctor not only did so, but also authorized multiple refills.

Andresen faxed prescriptions to compounding pharmacies located outside of New Jersey designated by the marketing business. The compounding pharmacies would fill and bill Andresen’s prescription drug benefit plan.

The pharmaceutical company’s prescription drug benefit plan reimbursed the compounding pharmacies $13,572 to $43,689 for each compounded medication Andresen and her husband received.

The compounding pharmacies would pay the marketing business a percentage of the reimbursement amount, and the business would pay Andresen a percentage of the amount it received from the compounding pharmacies.

Andresen received a total of $161,378 from the marketing business for her role in the conspiracy. The pharmaceutical company lost $956,885 from this scheme.

The conspiracy to commit health care fraud count to which Andresen pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 7.

On June 29, 2016, Stephanie Naar, 27, of St. Louis, Missouri, who had been an employee of the same pharmaceutical company as Andresen, pleaded guilty and admitted accepting thousands of dollars in exchange for obtaining and filling her own medically unnecessary prescriptions for compounded medications.

On July 19, 2016, Peter Pappas, 44, of Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, another former employee of the same New Jersey pharmaceutical company as Andresen, also pleaded guilty and admitted to accepting thousands of dollars in exchange for obtaining and filling his own medically unnecessary prescriptions for compounded medications. Pappas also admitted to recruiting others into this scheme.

Naar and Pappas both await sentencing.

Fishman reorganized the health care fraud practice at the New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s Office shortly after taking office, including creating a stand-alone Health Care and Government Fraud Unit to handle both criminal and civil investigations and prosecutions of health care fraud offenses.

Since 2010, the office has recovered more than $1.32 billion in health care fraud and government fraud settlements, judgments, fines, restitution and forfeiture under the False Claims Act, the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and other statutes.