Two Plead Guilty to $25M New Jersey Prescription Drug Scheme

Two men have pleaded guilty to defrauding New Jersey and health insurers out of $25 million by submitting claims for unneeded prescriptions.

Matthew Tedesco and Robert Bessey pleaded guilty on Thursday to conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

Authorities say they used a network of recruiters, doctors and state and local employees to get reimbursed for phony prescriptions and expensive and medically unnecessary compounded medications.

Prosecutors say Tedesco, a pharmaceutical sales representative, Bessey and others persuaded people to get the drugs from an unnamed out-of-state pharmacy.

That included recruiting public employees covered by state and local health benefits to obtain the drugs without being evaluated by a doctor.

Prosecutors say the pharmacies then paid kickbacks.

Tedesco admitted receiving more than $11 million and Bessey nearly $500,000. They both must forfeit that money.