FORMER LANSDOWNE PHARMACY OWNER PLEADS
GUILTY TO FELONY INSURANCE FRAUD, THEFT

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr., announced today that Richard G. Halpern pleaded guilty to one count of felony insurance fraud and one count of felony theft in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County. Halpern, 57, formerly a pharmacist and owner of Irvin's Pharmacy in Lansdowne, had been charged with providing false documentation to and stealing over $309,000 from various insurance companies.

According to the statement of facts, from January 1994 through October 1996, Halpern billed various insurance companies for pharmaceutical products that he never actually dispensed. Halpern received over $309,000 in illegitimate insurance reimbursements.

The Honorable Dana M. Levitz scheduled sentencing for October 28, 2002. Halpern could potentially be sentenced to serve up to 15 years in prison on the insurance fraud felony theft counts.

The conviction follows a joint investigation conducted by the Office of the Attorney General, the Insurance Fraud Division of the Maryland Insurance Administration, the Maryland State Police and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

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