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DARIEN, CT — A Norwalk medical practice that became known as the “candy shop” for opioid addicts is under investigation and two doctors are facing up to 40 years in prison for what state and federal authorities call an egregious amount of fraud, according to a state lawsuit and federal criminal complaint.
The two doctors are accused of writing prescriptions for cash to addicts, money laundering and millions of dollars in health care fraud, according to a criminal complaint.
Dr. Bharat Patel, 70, of Milford was arrested Wednesday and has been detained. Dr. Ramil Mansourov, 47, of Darien is being sought by law enforcement.
“These two doctors are charged with violating their oaths and recklessly prescribing highly addictive painkillers,” said U.S. Attorney Deidre Daly. “Dr. Patel is alleged to have regularly sold to addicts solely for his own profit. Many of these patients filled the prescriptions using state health care benefits, and then turned around and sold the pills on the street, contributing to our devastating opioid epidemic.
The two operated out of Family Health Urgent Care on Main Street in Norwalk, which was formerly known as Immediate Health Care and was owned by Patel. Mansourov purchased the practice from Patel and Patel continued to work at the practice.
Around 2013 the DEA got information that the two doctors were writing prescriptions for controlled substances outside the scope of legitimate medical practice, according to the U.S. Attorney District of Connecticut office.
Patel allegedly provided prescriptions for narcotics including oxycodone and hydrocodone to patients he knew were addicted or had been arrested for distributing or possessing controlled substances, according to a criminal complaint. Patients would allegedly pay him $100 in cash per prescription and occasionally Mansourov would fill in the role when Patel wasn’t available.
In 2014 more than $50,000 in cash deposits were made into Patel and his wife’s bank accounts. Some patients filled prescriptions using a state Medicaid card, according to the criminal complaint.
Mansourov is also accused of defrauding the state’s Medicaid program of more than $4 million by billing for patient visits that were never made at homes, nursing homes and his office. Sometimes both Mansourov and
Patel would bill for the same patient on the same day at two different locations, according to the complaint.
The state has also filed a False Claims Act lawsuit against Mansourov.
“The audacity of the alleged fraudulent conduct in this case is astounding,” said Attorney General George Jepsen. “In one case, this provider billed Medicaid for at least 500 visits to a particular patient that never happened, receiving $80,000 in taxpayer dollars for services never rendered, and at the same time, sought to receive Medicaid benefits himself. This sort of egregious fraud will not be tolerated, and we will hold accountable those who seek to engage in this sort of conduct.”