Grand Jury Indicts Physician for Illegal Remuneration for Health Care Referrals

United States Attorney Trent Shores announced today that a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Adam Gallardo Arrendondo, 56, of Waxahachie, Texas, charging him with Illegal Remuneration for Health Care Referrals.

The indictment alleges that Arrendondo solicited and received checks in exchange for referring compounding prescriptions paid for by federal programs. Compounding prescriptions are the result of combining or altering ingredients to create a medication tailored to the needs of an individual patient that are not FDA approved. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.

United States Attorney Shores stated, “Illegal payment for health care referrals undermines the integrity of our health care system.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office will bring to justice those who engage in health care fraud by exploiting programs that provide care for millions of Americans.”

Assistant United States Attorney Melody N. Nelson represents the United States as lead prosecutor in this matter. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Department of Labor-Office of Inspector General, the Internal Revenue Service, and the United States Postal Service-Office of Inspector General.

The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged federal crimes which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence