Queens Pharmacy Owner Bought Porsche With Medicare Cash: Feds

JAMAICA, QUEENS — The owner of four Queens pharmacies is accused of running a lucrative fraud scheme that bought her jewelry and a fancy car. Aleah Mohammed, 33, was set to be arraigned Monday for allegedly submitting sham Medicare and Medicaid claims that got her Jamaica and Richmond Hill pharmacies nearly $8 million in reimbursements, the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney's Office said.

"As alleged in the indictment, Mohammed used her pharmacies to steal from publicly funded health care programs and fund her lavish lifestyle," U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue said in a statement.

Mohammed, also known as Aleah Haniff, was the owner and operator of four "Superdrugs" pharmacies, one of which closed last year, according to an indictment in the case.

From May 2015 through June of this year, she allegedly filed bogus federal reimbursement claims for prescription drugs — including medicines used to treat HIV — that weren't medically necessary or were never actually prescribed or dispensed, prosecutors said.

The scheme earned Mohammed's pharmacies about $7.9 million in that three-year period — some of which she used to buy "luxury items" such as jewelry and a Porsche, the indictment alleges. She also allegedly transferred some money to herself, her family and associates, the indictment says.

Mohammed, who prosecutors said was previously arrested in July, faces one count of health care fraud in connection with the scheme, according to the indictment.

(Lead image: Photo from Shutterstock)