Florida man convicted in diabetes fraud scheme

MIRAMAR, Fla. – A federal jury has convicted Steven King, 45, of Miramar, Fla., for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud for dispensing unnecessary lidocaine and diabetes testing supplies and billing Medicare more than $50 million. King was the chief compliance officer of AIC Holdings, which held pharmacies in various states including All American Medical Pharmacy in Warren, Mich. King and his co-conspirators took several steps to conceal their scheme, including enrolling their mail order pharmacies as brick-and-mortar retail locations to evade more rigorous oversight, shipping prescription refills for high-reimbursing medications and supplies without patient consent, concealing the ownership of A1C Holdings LLC and its pharmacies, and transferring patients among pharmacies without patient consent, according to the Department of Justice. King and his co-conspirators took each of these steps to ensure that Medicare continued to be billed for profitable medications and supplies. King faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. His sentencing date is set for Sept. 14.