Pharmacist charged with $1 million fraud

A Janesville pharmacist billed the federal government about $1 million for fraudulent prescriptions over several years, a federal indictment charges.

Mark Johnson, 55, was arrested at his office Friday morning without incident, according to U.S. Attorney John Vaudreuil of Wisconsin's Western District in Madison.  Johnson faces 46 felony counts, including fraud, identity theft and lying during a health care audit.

According to the indictment, from January 2008 to March 2014, Johnson submitted falsified Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement claims for drugs that were never actually prescribed. A federal grand jury returned the indictment Wednesday. It was unsealed Friday after Johnson's arrest.

Johnson is the owner and president of Kealey Pharmacy and Home Care, Inc., located at 21 South Jackson Street, in Janesville.

The indictment also charges that Johnson lied during an audit of his business in 2013 by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, and used two physician's government licensing numbers to create fraudulent prescriptions for the bogus reimbursement claims.