Queens Pharmacy Owner Arrested for $31 Million Medicaid Kickback Scheme Involving HIV Drugs
Pharmacist Miguel Baron was caught at LaGuardia Airport and charged with a $31 million Medicaid fraud that paid patients cash for black-market HIV drugs and rebilled the program at full price.
According to the New York Attorney General’s Office, Miguel Baron operated Guardiola Pharmacy and Baron Specialty Pharmacy in Jackson Heights, paying Medicaid patients cash kickbacks of $150-$200 to hand over unopened HIV medication. His staff purchased the drugs for as little as $400, removed the original labels with lighter fluid, and repeatedly dispensed the same pills while billing Medicaid at rates of $4,000-$4,500 per 30-day bottle.
The fraud, spanning January 2023 through April 2026, netted roughly $31 million, which Baron and fellow pharmacist Hamid Hosseinipour used to buy luxury real estate in Miami, waterfront condos, and high-end properties in Queens. He was arrested at LaGuardia Airport while attempting to leave the country with multiple passports and cash. Authorities also seized checks and transfers from pharmacy accounts, and the attorney general’s office has filed a civil forfeiture action to seize assets bought with the illicit proceeds.
Why it matters
The case reveals how Medicaid funds can be exploited, endangering vulnerable patients and costing taxpayers billions.
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