August 5, 2010
An investigation by New York State Inspector General Joseph Fisch led to a guilty plea in state Supreme Court in Bronx County by Anastacio “Jay” Garcia, for soliciting a $9,000 bribe from the owner of a Bronx pharmacy.
Garcia, 53, a former New York City supervising investigator for the state Office of Medicaid Inspector General (OMIG), admitted that he threatened a pharmacy owner with the filing of “negative report” that could potentially lead to a fine of $36,000 or a Medicaid suspension unless the owner paid him $9,000, according to the Inspector General’s report. The pharmacy owner did not pay the bribe, but taped his conversations with Garcia and reported the wrongdoing to police.
Garcia was prosecuted by the Bronx County District Attorney’s office and pleaded guilty August 4 to bribe receiving in the third degree with sentencing set for October 6. Garcia had supervised OMIG’s New York City undercover unit, which investigates providers for Medicaid fraud. As a result of the investigation, he resigned from OMIG.
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