BRIEF: Lincoln County pharmacist sentenced in Medicaid fraud

Jan. 14--A judge sent a former Lincoln County commissioner to prison and ordered him to pay back $1.5 million to insurance companies he defrauded, according to the state Attorney General's Office.

Adam Katschke, 44, was sentenced today to one to four years in prison and the restitution will go to the companies affected, officials said. He previously pleaded guilty to several felonies.

Katschke was the head pharmacist and owned Meadow Valley Pharmacy in Caliente, officials said. Prosecutors alleged that for two years beginning April 2013, he would bill for larger amounts of prescriptions than were rarely provided to or prescribed to patients.

The scheme involved false documentation, officials said.

"The defendant stole a million and a half dollars from taxpayers through Medicaid, a program designed to provide care for those in need, not line the pockets of fraudsters," said Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt in a news release. "My office will continue to work with our law enforcement officers to ensure that frauds like this one do not go unpunished."

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