California Man Pleads Guilty to Obtaining a Controlled Substance by Fraud and Billing Medicaid for a Fraudulent Prescription

BOISE - Michael James Lott, 32, of Roseville, California, pleaded guilty on June 3, 2015, to acquiring and obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, and deception and false statement relating to health care matters, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.  Lott was indicted by a federal grand Jury in Boise on January 13, 2015.

At the hearing, Lott admitted that he began altering his legitimate prescriptions to fill them ahead of schedule and then made his own forged prescriptions.  On April 28, 2014, Lott filled a fake prescription for Oxycodone and then submitted that forged prescription for payment by Medicaid.

The charge of acquiring and obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud and deception is punishable by up to four years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to one year of supervised release. The charge of false statement relating to health care matters is punishable by up to five years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.

Sentencing is set for August 18, before U.S. District Court Chief Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Boise.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) led Tactical Diversion Squad which is comprised of law enforcement personnel from the DEA, Ada County Sheriff’s Office, Boise Police Department, Idaho State Police, Meridian Police Department, Nampa Police Department and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.