A South Florida pharmacy owner is charged with obtaining close to $10 million in fraudulent Medicare reimbursement claims for over-the-counter COVID tests that no one ordered, according to a criminal complaint.
Robert Hopta, the president and registered agent of Golden Hills Pharmacy in Sunrise, is now facing one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, according to a federal complaint filed Tuesday.
During the pandemic, the U.S. government allowed pharmacies to distribute COVID tests at no cost to Medicare beneficiaries. In order to be reimbursed for the tests, the beneficiaries were required to submit claims with their name and Medicare identification number, along with other information.
Between June 2021 and January 2023, Hopta and his unnamed co-conspirators bribed and paid kickbacks to marketing companies in exchange for people’s private Medicare beneficiary information, according to the complaint, including a marketing company referred to only as “Company 1” based in Broward County. Hopta and the co-conspirators then used the beneficiary information to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare for over $17 million in COVID tests.
Golden Hills Pharmacy ultimately received over $9.9 million from the agency, the complaint states.
Several people said in online reviews that they had reported Golden Hills Pharmacy to Medicare beginning two years ago, according to online reviews. The reviews came from people across the U.S. who reported receiving COVID tests they never ordered, among other items. One reviewer said her mother was billed for COVID tests a week after she died. Another reviewer said he was billed for a wheelchair he never ordered.
Hopta, who lives in Palm Beach County, is listed as the registered agent for several limited-liability companies in the South Florida area, according to state business records.
Attorneys for Hopta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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