NEWARK, N.J. – Rachael A. Honig, Acting U.S. Attorney, announced that A Bergen County resident on 10th August 2021 admitted his part in a conspiracy to swindle prescription HIV drugs from the Veteran Affairs Department.
Wagner Checonolasco, alias “Wanny,” aged 34, from New Jersey’s Lyndhurst, admitted guilty before Esther Salas, U.S. District Judge in Newark federal court to evidence accusing him of scheming to defraud government property.
As per the documents filed in this matter and statements issued in court:
Starting August 2017 to 20th November 2019, Checonolasco plotted with Lisa M. Hoffman, among others, to defraud HIV drugs owned by the U.S Veteran Affairs Department. Hoffman purportedly stole the drugs from the pharmacy of her boss, the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in New Jersey’s East Orange, and then traded the stolen drugs to Checonolasco for money. Hofmann relied on her rank as a procurement officer at the VAMC to acquire huge sums of HIV prescription drugs so that she could swindle the surplus drugs and trade them to Checonolasco, who then resold them for a profit. Hoffman and Checonolasco swindled roughly 8.2 million USD worth of HIV drugs that belonged to VAMC.
The scheme count is punishable by a maximum penalty of 60 months in jail or double the gross loss or gain from the crime, whichever is highest. Conviction is planned for 15th December 2021.
Hoffman, aged 48 from New Jersey’s Orange, was previously indicted in a three-count accusation with theft of government property, theft of medical products, and scam. Those counts remain undecided, and she is assumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Honig, Acting U.S. Attorney, accredited the FBI’s special agents, under the leadership of George M. Crouch Jr., Special Agent in Charge in Newark, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office, under the leadership of Christopher F. Algieri, Special Agent in Charge, with the inquiry resulting in today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Nicole F. Mastropieri, Assistant U.S. Attorney of Newark’s Health Care Fraud Unit.
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