CALIFORNIA – California attorney general Rob Bonta announced June 27 the sentencing of a Southern California healthcare clinic operator, Oscar B. Abrons III, for a $20 million Medi-Cal prescription fraud.
The Orange County Superior Court sentenced Abrons to four years in jail and stipulated to over $20 million in Medi-Cal losses.
The court will hold a restitution hearing to determine the loss amount owed by Abrons.
“When healthcare operators take advantage of Medi-Cal for personal gain, not only are they stealing from taxpayers, but they are also undermining the health and trust of our communities,” said Bonta.
He adds that the state will not tolerate unlawful behavior.
Paid Medi-Cal beneficiaries to obtain unnecessary prescriptions
Abrons and Steven Derrick Fleming jointly ran God’s Property, an unlicensed clinic paying Medi-Cal beneficiaries for obtaining unnecessary prescriptions for HIV medications, antipsychotics and controlled substances, which were later sold on the illicit market.
Fleming and Abrons, alongside Mohamed Waddah El-Nachef, an Orange County medical doctor, carried out the diversion scheme from June 23, 2014, to October 1, 2016.
During this time, El-Nachef became the top prescriber of HIV medications in the state. As a result of the scheme, Medi-Cal suffered an estimated loss of over $20 million.
El-Nachef surrendered medical license
Fleming and El-Nachef were previously sentenced. Fleming was sentenced to five years in state prison. El-Nachef was sentenced to a five-year local custody sentence and surrendered his medical license.
The California Department of Justice’s Division of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse (DMFEA) prosecuted these individuals.
The DMFEA receives 75% of its $69.2 million FY 2025 funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with 25% from California.
A copy of the sentencing minutes are available here.
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