Former Margate firefighter sentenced in healthcare fraud scheme

U.S. District Court Camden

CAMDEN – A Margate man was sentenced Monday, April 17 to 37 months in prison, two years of supervised release and ordered to pay $2.77 million in restitution and $327,987 in forfeiture for his role in defrauding New Jersey state and local health benefits programs and other insurers by submitting fraudulent claims for medically unnecessary prescriptions.

John Sher, 40, a former Margate firefighters, pleaded guilty on July 28, 2022, before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler to one count of conspiracy to defraud New Jersey state and local health benefits programs and other insurers by submitting fraudulent claims for medically unnecessary prescriptions.

According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, Sher was part of a criminal conspiracy in which state and local government employees were recruited and compensated to receive medically unnecessary compound prescription medications that caused the pharmacy benefits administrator to pay out millions of dollars for medically unnecessary compound prescription medications for individuals they recruited into the scheme. Sher directly received $327,897.