Illinois Man Gets Five Years in Phony Pharmacy Scam

The operator of a fake pharmacy was sentenced to five years in prison by U.S. District Judge John Z. Lee of the Northern District of Illinois for an elaborate scheme to bilk $1.6 million from Medicare.

James Calhoun, 74, of Des Plaines, Ill., admitted that he defrauded Medicare through “Cal’s Pharmacy,” which submitted hundreds of prescriptions covered under Medicare Part D.

Calhoun went to a local physician to obtain the prescriptions which he “filled” at Cal’s, including scrips for Arixtra (fondaparinux sodium), an expensive daily injection used to treat or prevent blood clots.