Monett pharmacy owner and Pharmacist indicted on Medicaid fraud, forgery, identity theft

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.

The owner and a pharmacy technician of Old Town Pharmacy LLC were both indicted on 34 total counts in Cole County on last Wednesday.

A Cole County grand jury returned 26 counts of Violations Involving Health Care Payments (Class D Felony), 6 counts of Forgery (Class D Felony), one count of Identity Theft (Class C Felony) and one count of Stealing by Deceit (Class C Felony) against Shane Becker, the owner, and Montserrat Ortega-Saucedo, the pharmacy technician.

Counts one through 26 in the indictment allege that between May 3, 2018 and March 18, 2019, the defendants knowingly made a false statement to receive a healthcare payment from Missouri’s Medicaid provider MO HealthNet.

Counts 27 through 32 in the indictment allege that defendants forged several Medicaid recipients’ prescriptions.

Count 33 of the indictment alleges that defendants knowingly used MO HealthNet DCN numbers for six Medicaid recipients to appropriate approximately $25,000 from MO HealthNet.

Count 34 of the indictment alleges that defendants Becker and Ortega-Saucedo knowingly made false statements to MO HealthNet to receive a payment of approximately $25,000.

The Old Town Pharmacy is located in Monett, Missouri. The case is being handled by the Missouri Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Cole County Prosecuting Attorney.

Both men have a 10,000 cash only bond.

Both men will be arraigned in court on June 7.