Naples Man Pleads Guilty In Connection With Sunshine Pharmacy Health Care Fraud Conspiracy

Fort Myers, Florida –United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Adam Parrish (35, Naples) has pleaded guilty to an Information charging him with seven counts of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, three counts of aggravated identify theft, and three counts of improper use of a DEA Registration Number. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison for the conspiracy charges, an additional two years for each aggravated identity theft count, which must be served consecutively to the conspiracy offense, and four years in federal prison for each improper use of a DEA Registration Number offense. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

According to the plea agreement, from February 2009 through July 2012, Adam Parrish conspired with Delmer Holmes Parrish and Patricia Parrish to defraud federal health care benefit programs out of approximately $351,358. All three, along with others, used Sunshine Pharmacy and Sunshine Solutions in Naples to further their unlawful scheme to defraud the government. The co-conspirators submitted and caused claims to be submitted for reimbursement from the Medicaid, Medicare, and TRICARE programs for prescriptions that had not been filled or provided to beneficiaries and recipients, including prescriptions for patients that had not been written or authorized by any duly licensed physician. In addition, they submitted and caused claims to be submitted for reimbursement from these programs for prescriptions for beneficiaries and recipients who were deceased. In carrying out the offenses, the conspirators also used the means of identification of individuals who were enrolled in the Medicaid, Medicare, or TRICARE programs without their knowledge or consent. As a result of the scheme, the government was defrauded out of approximately $351,358.

In addition, Adam Parrish admitted that he had unlawfully used the names of three federal health care beneficiaries to commit health care fraud. He also admitted that he had utilized two different physicians’ DEA Registration Numbers, on three occasions, to acquire or obtain controlled substances from pharmacies in Collier County.

Delmer Parrish and Patricia Parrish were sentenced for their role in the conspiracy in April 2014. Delmer Parrish, who was a licensed pharmacist and owner of Sunshine Pharmacy, surrendered his pharmacist license and was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison. Patricia Parrish, Delmer’s Parrish’s mother, was sentenced to house arrest for 120 days, to be followed by three years of probation. In addition, Delmer and Patricia Parrish paid $351,358 in restitution to the United States at the time of their sentencing.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, the Department of Defense, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Naples Police Department, the Collier County Sheriff's Office, and the United States Secret Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David G. Lazarus.