Arrests Made In Doctor Shopping Ring

According to the Imperial Valley News, Dr. Mohammed Tarek Kady, 55, along with his two assistants, Mario Ramirez Zarco and Ana Audelo were arrested for operating a scheme to defraud more than $200,000 from low income patients and government agencies by overcharging and prescribing pain medication to patients who had no medical need for it. All three people charged are from Chula Vista, California.

In addition to overcharging for services and charging for services never performed, Kady prescribed pain medication to individuals without any justifiable medical purpose, enabling patients apparently “doctor shopping” for drugs. Kady wrote prescriptions for opiates, including the narcotic, Vicodin, and codeine cough syrups to drug addicts abusing the drugs and illegally selling them. On seven DEA sting operations, most recently last month, Kady prescribed narcotics without medical justification.

Kady’s patients were instructed to fill their pain medication prescription at one San Diego pharmacy. An employee at the pharmacy became suspicious after dozens of individuals attempted to fill prescriptions, written by Kady, at the pharmacy each Friday. The investigation revealed Kady and the pharmacy owner had a quid pro quo arrangement in which the pharmacy would kick back some $3 per prescription.

The arrests were made possible by the combined efforts of the San Diego District Attorney’s Insurance Fraud Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), San Diego Health Care Fraud Squad and San Diego Organized Crime Squad, the California Department of Industrial Relations, and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Tactical Diversion Squad.

“The Drug Enforcement Administration is committed to keeping the San Diego community safe from doctors who enable the abuse of prescription drugs” says D.E.A. agent Ralph W. Partridge.  If convicted of all charges, Kady faces up to 20 years in prison, while Zarco and Audelo face up to six years each.