Former East Carolina University Pharmacy Adminstrator Pleads Guilty To Filing Fraudulent Documents To Stock Pharmacy Inventory

NEW BERN - United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that Tuesday in federal court, LEIGH LANGLEY COBB, 43, of Winterville, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to Making Materially False, Fictitious, and Fraudulent Statements and Entries Concerning Health Care Matters.

According to the Criminal Information to which COBB pleaded guilty, between the years 2000 and 2012, COBB worked for one of several clinics and pharmacies operated by the Brody School of Medicine, within East Carolina University (ECU) in Greenville, North Carolina.  COBB had responsibilities pertaining to the receipt and dissemination of drugs to ECU patients.  COBB also assisted patients at one of the Brody School of Medicine’s various clinics to apply to participating drug companies to receive medicine at a reduced rate, through what are known as Patient Assistance Programs (PAPs).  

Between January of 2010 and October of 2012, COBB falsified numerous PAP applications and transmitted them to various victim drug companies.  The applications were false because many of the prescriptions contained within them were fraudulent and forged.  While in many instances patients at ECU’s clinics genuinely sought medicine from the drug companies pursuant to the PAP programs, COBB added numerous additional drugs to the applications for which the patient did not have a prescription, and which were not medically necessary for the patient.  In many instances, the patient at issue had not been prescribed any of the medications listed on the application, and the physicians identified were not the physicians of record for the patients listed on the application.  To cause the drug companies to supply these drugs, COBB forged signatures of both physicians and patients.  One such false application occurred on March 27, 2012.

After receiving the false applications transmitted by COBB on behalf of ECU patients, the drug companies relied upon them and shipped medicines to The Bernstein Center Pharmacy, within the ECU system, that were not covered by a doctor’s prescription.  COBB received the Unauthorized Drugs and placed them into The Bernstein Center Pharmacy’s drug inventory for later dissemination and sale to other patients.

The total losses from the offense are unknown, but the parties are in agreement that the losses are between $550,000 and $1.5 Million. 

At sentencing, COBB faces up to 5 years in prison and 3 years of supervise release.  The defendant also faces a fine of up to $250,000 and restitution if ordered by the court.

The investigation of this case was conducted by the East Carolina University Police Department and the United States Food and Drug Administration – Office of Criminal Investigations.   Assistant United States Attorney William M. Gilmore of the Economic Crimes Division represents the United States.