A federal jury has convicted Dr Neil K Anand, a 48-year-old physician of Indian descent from Bensalem, Pennsylvania, for his role in multiple conspiracies involving healthcare fraud, wire fraud, and the unlawful distribution of controlled substances, including the opioid oxycodone.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Dr Anand orchestrated a scheme to defraud Medicare, the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and private insurers, including Independence Blue Cross (IBC) and Anthem. 
He submitted fraudulent claims for so-called &ldquo;Goody Bags&rdquo;&mdash;packages of medically unnecessary prescription medications dispensed by in-house pharmacies he owned. These medications were often given to patients solely to qualify them for prescriptions of controlled substances. Patients were compelled to accept the Goody Bags, which they neither needed nor requested, in exchange for receiving opioid prescriptions.
The total amount billed to Medicare, OPM, IBC, and Anthem exceeded $2.3 million.
In a particularly egregious aspect of the scheme, Anand pre-signed blank prescription forms, allowing unlicensed medical interns&mdash;graduates of foreign universities without authorization to practice in the US&mdash;to write prescriptions for controlled substances. As a result, 20,850 oxycodone tablets were dispensed to just nine patients.
Oxycodone, a highly addictive opioid, has been a central factor in the opioid epidemic devastating the United States.
Further investigation revealed that after learning he was under scrutiny, Anand attempted to conceal approximately $1.2 million in fraud proceeds by transferring the funds into an account in his father&rsquo;s name, designated for the benefit of his minor daughter.
Anand was convicted on multiple charges, including:
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and wire fraud</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Three counts of healthcare fraud</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">One count of money laundering</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Four counts of unlawful monetary transactions</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances</li>
</ul>
He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 130 years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 19, 2025. A federal district judge will determine the final sentence after considering US Sentencing Guidelines and other legal factors.
The investigation was led by the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the US Postal Service Office of Inspector General, and the OPM Office of Inspector General, with assistance from the FBI&rsquo;s Philadelphia Field Office. The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Paul J Koob, Patrick J Campbell, and Arun Bodapati of the Justice Department&rsquo;s Fraud Section.
This conviction is part of the Department&rsquo;s broader effort to combat healthcare fraud through its Health Care Fraud Strike Force, which has charged over 5,800 defendants across 27 federal districts since 2007, involving over $30 billion in fraudulent billings.
In a related but separate case from 2017, another Indian-American doctor, cardiologist Dr Devendra Patel of Nevada, was charged with 39 counts related to the unlawful distribution of opioids such as fentanyl, hydrocodone, and oxycodone, as well as healthcare fraud. 
He allegedly prescribed these medications without legitimate medical purpose from 2014 to 2017 and later pleaded not guilty in federal court.
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Dr Anand prescribed controlled substances to patients who didn't request them

Dr Neil Anand engaged in healthcare fraud and illegal drug distribution scheme

Indian-Origin Doc Guilty in $2.3M US Fraud Case

Dr Neil Anand engaged in healthcare fraud and illegal drug distribution scheme

April 17, 2025 | 11:59 IST