Edinburg physician, son plead guilty to kickback scheme

An Edinburg physician and his son pleaded guilty Monday to conspiring to receive kickbacks in exchange for referring prescriptions to local pharmacies, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas announced in a press release.

Dr. Tajul Shams Chowdhury, 75, and his son, 43-year-old Mohammad Imtiaz Chowdhury, who worked as a purported marketer for a local pharmacy, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States.

The two are scheduled to be sentenced in late March.

Along with the father and son were multiple people involved in the conspiracy, including licensed pharmacist John Ageudo Rodriguez who owned Pharr Family Pharmacy, or PFP, located on Cage Street.

Additionally, Araceli Gaona and Erika Salinas Vazquez, two employees at the Center for Pain Management located in Edinburg that was owned by Mohammad Imtiaz Chowdhury; licensed chiropractors Alex Flores Jr. and Hector De La Cruz Jr., who formed operated an entity known as Flores & De La Cruz Financial Solutions, LLC., were also indicted.

Two others in the indictment were identified by initials. V.G., a purported marketer for Pharr Family Pharmacy who formed an entity with the initials “P.M. LLC,” and J.Y. who is also a purported marketer for PFP and an operator of a clinic in Mission.

According to the indictment, from in or around May 2014 and continuing through in or around September 2016, Rodriguez recruited people as “marketers” for the purpose of inducing the referral of high-reimbursing prescriptions for compound drugs and other prescription items to PFP that could be billed to health care benefit programs.

Mohammad Imtiaz Chowdhury, Alex Flores Jr., Hector De La Cruz Jr., V.G. and J.Y. acted as these marketers.

“(Rodriguez) directed the purported marketers to target specific health care benefit programs that paid high reimbursements for compound drugs, including but not limited to compound pain creams, scar creams, vitamins, and other prescription items, such as pain patches,” the indictment stated.

Rodriguez would then pay illegal kickbacks to his marketers.

The Center for Pain Management office of Dr. Tajul Chowdhury is seen on June 17, 2021, in Edinburg with a notice of its closure on the door. (Delcia Lopez | dlopez@themonitor.com)

The indictment goes on to say that Mohammad Imtiaz Chowdhury coordinated with his father to send prescriptions for compound drugs to PFP.

“Tajul Shams Chowdhury sent, or caused to be sent, prescriptions for compound drugs and other prescription items to PFP for patients who did not need or want the drugs or items,” the document said.

Mohammad Imtiaz Chowdhury also directed Gaona and Salinas Vasquez to send prescriptions for compound drugs and other items to PFP for patients.

In addition, Mohammad Imtiaz Chowdhury would make kickback payments to his father in order to induce the referral of prescriptions to PFP.

Gaona, Salinas Vazquez, Flores and De La Cruz, who have pleaded guilty, are scheduled to be sentenced the same day as the father and son.

Rodriguez is scheduled for re-arraignment on Friday.

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