April 15, 2003
Attorney General Baker Announces Prison Sentence for Pharmacist Who Stole From State
Today Attorney General Thurbert E. Baker announced that Federal Judge Richard Story of the Northern District of Georgia sentenced Georgia pharmacist Julius Williams, III to serve 15 months in jail followed by three years of probation for fraudulently billing Medicaid. Judge Story also ordered Mr. Williams to pay the State of Georgia $130,614 in restitution and special assessment fees.
Julius Williams, III, a licensed pharmacist, owns and operates the Super Rite Drugs at 1821 Memorial Drive in Dekalb County. Mr. Williams filed claims with Medicaid for pharmacy services that were never rendered. From September 1999 through December of 2001, Mr. Williams submitted false prescription drug claims to Medicaid, collecting at least 130,000 dollars illegally from the State.
“If you are going to steal from the State, we will find you and put you in prison. The actions of these thieves could adversely impact the ability of honest citizens to obtain needed prescription drugs in the future and I will not tolerate that,” said Attorney General Thurbert Baker.
The guilty plea and sentencing of Mr. Williams is the result of an investigation conducted by the Georgia Medicaid Fraud Unit, the Program Integrity Section of the Department of Community Health and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Assistant Attorney General Harrison Kohler and Assistant United States Attorney Joey Burby prosecuted this case.