By Cailyn Richer
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WBKO) – Carissa Uptegraff, a 44-year-old woman from Glasgow, has been indicted alongside five others for their involvement in schemes aimed at defrauding health care benefit programs and misusing controlled substances.
On Thursday, U.S. Attorney Michael Bennett announced Uptegraff’s indictment, charging her with the theft of medical products. As an employee at a pharmacy, she allegedly stole oxycodone valued at over $5,000. The thefts reportedly occurred at two different pharmacies before the controlled substances could be sold to consumers.
The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Ansari from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky. Uptegraff is charged alongside several others, including Shafi Abbas from Pendleton, Dr. Lawrence Peters and Tammy Daniels (also known as Tammy Richardson) from Louisville, and Michael Boaz and Christopher Augustus from Clinton.
The charges are linked to three unlawful billing schemes, one opioid theft scheme, and a doctor who permitted his staff to issue controlled substance prescriptions in his absence.
According to U.S. Attorney Bennett, these charges are part of a coordinated nationwide law enforcement effort over two weeks, targeting programs designed to care for the elderly and disabled. This operation led to criminal charges against 193 individuals for their alleged roles in health care fraud and opioid abuse, with over $2.75 billion in alleged false billings submitted.
Additionally, authorities seized more than $231 million in cash, luxury vehicles, gold, and other assets during the investigation. The charges were filed in federal court and are part of the Justice Department’s 2024 National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action.