Staten Island Man Pleads Guilty in Massive Health Care Fraud Scheme

Pharmacy owner admits to submitting false prescriptions to Medicare and Medicaid from a Linden-based pharmacy

NEWARK, N.J. — A Staten Island man pleaded guilty on July 16 in federal court to orchestrating a health care fraud scheme involving falsified prescription claims submitted to Medicare and Medicaid through a pharmacy he operated in Linden, New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

Thomas Conzo, 49, admitted to one count of health care fraud before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court. According to court documents and statements, Conzo owned and operated Elite Pharmacy, a specialty pharmacy based in Linden. Between August 2022 and March 2023, he submitted fraudulent prescription claims totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Prosecutors stated that Conzo used the professional credentials of pharmacists who neither worked at Elite Pharmacy nor had any involvement in reviewing, signing, or authorizing the prescriptions. These false claims were then submitted to federal health care benefit programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.

The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is higher. Sentencing is scheduled for December 4, 2025.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Newark, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation in Newark, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney George Brandley of the Health Care Fraud and Opioids Enforcement Unit in Newark is handling the prosecution.