Rajendra Bothra would be a name that not many in India would be aware of. But he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Indian government in the year 1999. However, some 43 months back, Bothra was charged with federal allegations that he, along with his associates, operated a Warren-based prescription drug mill.
Bothra was from Bloomfield Hills, and he was supposed to be the mastermind of the entire racket. His associates were also accused of many crimes by the federal court. But they were found not guilty, according to Macomb Daily.
Bothra’s attorney said his client was ‘ecstatic’ over the verdict but added that no one could bring back the 43 months he had spent in jail. On the other hand, the attorney felt glad that the jury looked at the evidence and made the appropriate decision in a relatively short time.
Ironically, while Bothra and his associates were charged in 50 counts, all the others were free during the 43 months on personal bonds. Though Bothra had moved to the US several decades ago, he was a frequent traveler to India.
The group of doctors was accused of carrying out an operation on the lines of a McDonald’s drive-thru and compared the operation to the assembly line. It was said that they made their patients undergo radiofrequency ablations on their backs and prescribed back braces to patients.
They also prescribed 13 million pills and made false claims to illegally collect $20 million from Medicare, over $17 million from Medicaid, and over $15 million from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan from 2013 to 2018.
