Monett pharmacy owner, pharmacist indicted

The owner of a Monett pharmacy and a technician at the store have been indicted for alleged Medicaid fraud, forgery and identify theft.

Shane Becker, owner of Old Town Pharmacy LLC, and Montserrat Ortega-Saucedo, a pharmacy technician, both were indicted April 21 on 34 counts by a Cole County grand jury, according to a news release issued yesterday by the Missouri attorney general's office.

Becker and Ortega-Saucedo are accused of allegedly making false statements to receive a health care payment from MO HealthNet, Missouri’s Medicaid provider; forging Medicaid recipients' prescriptions; and using MO HealthNet document control numbers for six Medicaid recipients to appropriate funds.

The defendants allegedly received $25,000 from MO HealthNet through fraudulent means.

Old Town Pharmacy operates at 100 Chapel Drive, Ste. A, in Monett, according to its website. The company website also lists locations in Pierce City and Jefferson City, with the latter store doing business as Tolson's Old Town Pharmacy & Apothecary.