A veteran Philadelphia journalist is among a group of seven people who pleaded guilty this week for their involvement in a $20 million Medicare and Medicaid fraud scheme at a former pharmacy in South Philly, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General said Friday.
Angelo "A.D." Amorosi — a journalist who has written stories for PhillyVoice, the Inquirer and Philadelphia Magazine, among other news outlets — was one of nine defendants charged in December following an investigation into prescription fraud at the former Broad Street Family Pharmacy. The shop at 1416 S. Broad St. closed in 2021 after investigators raided the business.
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Between 2016 and 2021, prosecutors said the couple who owned the pharmacy paid some of their customers cash to bring in prescriptions for expensive drugs. The pharmacy would then submit false claims to Medicare and Medicaid, billing them for prescriptions that were rarely filled, prosecutors said. Most of the fraudulent claims were for HIV medications and the antipsychotic drug Latuda, which pay out high reimbursements.
“This was a yearslong conspiracy that defrauded state and federal programs designed to help people and families in need, and ripped off taxpayers who fund those programs,” Attorney General Dave Sunday said.
Amorosi, 62, was charged with seven felony counts that included dealing in the proceeds of unlawful activities and conspiracy. He pleaded guilty to reduced charges and was sentenced Wednesday to three years of probation.
Amorosi's attorney, Charles Auspitz, declined to discuss details about the journalist's involvement in the pharmacy fraud scheme. Amorosi is not required to pay restitution, and court records show he is only liable for costs and fees associated with the prosecution of the case.
"People can decide what they want to decide based on what is publicly available, and that's really what it is," Auspitz said Friday. "He got drawn into this, and the public record is the public record."
Broad Street Family Pharmacy owner Peter Dello Buono and his wife, Elizabeth Thompson, both 70, were accused of orchestrating the scheme with pharmacist Frank Bengermino, 70, who managed prescriptions day-to-day. Bengermino took over the pharmacy because Dello Buono — also a pharmacist — had been stripped of his license, investigators said.
Dello Buono and Thompson also were accused of paying pharmacy customers to sell back pills, giving them cash kickbacks and other medications in return.
After pleading guilty, Dello Buono was sentenced to serve 2 to 5 years in state prison. Thompson was sentenced to four years of probation. Together, the couple was ordered to pay $12.25 million in restitution. Bengermino, who also pleaded guilty, was sentenced to 1 1/2 to 5 years in state prison.
Amorosi got his start as a journalist in Philadelphia writing a gossip column for the former Philadelphia City Paper. In addition to covering local culture, restaurants and politics as a freelance writer over the years, Amorosi has written stories for national outlets including Variety and Yahoo News.
As part of his plea agreement, Amorosi is barred from leaving Philadelphia without approval from a parole officer and is not permitted to own a firearm.
Also charged in the case were Berry Davis, 59, of Philadelphia; Brian O’Hara, 52, of Philadelphia; Michael McCue, 68, of Philadelphia; Christian Bengermino, 36, of Folsom; and Evan Gusz, 54, of Glenside. All but O’Hara and McCue, whose cases are still pending, have pleaded guilty, prosecutors said.
