Former Wallingford doctor convicted of selling opioid prescriptions

BRIDGEPORT, CT (WFSB) – A former Wallingford doctor was convicted of illegally distributing prescription drugs through his medical practice.

Anatoly Braylovsky, 52, of Wallingford, learned his fate Wednesday in Bridgeport, according to Vanessa Roberts Avery, U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut.

Braylovsky was sentenced to 90 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release for controlled substance violations and health care fraud.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Braylovsky was an internal medicine physician who worked at Family Practice of Greater New Haven, LLC, located on North Main Street in Wallingford.

Braylovsky’s practice accepted patients who were insured by Medicare, Medicaid and commercial insurance plans.

Breaking down the issue

Beginning sometime in 2014, the DEA and the Wallingford Police Department received complaints about Braylovsky’s prescribing practices. In early 2016, investigators from both the DEA and the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection’s Division of Drug Enforcement notified Braylovsky that they were concerned about his prescribing practices and informed him that some of his patients had a criminal history.

Investigators said they found that Braylovsky continued to administer large amounts of opioid-based pills, as well as Alprazolam and Adderall, to a number of patients. Investigators also received information that some of Braylovsky’s patients, including Jennifer Bousquet, were receiving unnecessary prescriptions for these drugs and then selling the pills for profit. They said they also learned that Braylovsky was selling prescriptions for large amounts of money and that some patients who had their prescriptions filled were giving Braylovsky pills.

Around October 2019, the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General joined the investigation when it was discovered that Braylovsky’s patients were using their Medicaid or Medicare insurance to pay for unnecessary prescriptions. For at least 3 years, Bousquet received from Braylovsky monthly prescriptions for 170 oxycodone 30 mg pills, 75 Adderall 20 mg pills, and 30 alprazolam 2 mg pills.

During the investigation, law enforcement used a confidential source, who was both Braylovsky’s patient and Bousquet’s associate, to pay Braylovsky money in exchange for obtaining a prescription for oxycodone.

On four occasions between October 2019 and January 2020, the source visited Braylovsky’s office, gave him $1,600 in cash and obtained a prescription for 150 oxycodone 30mg pills. Although Braylovsky did not perform any physical exams or discuss the health of the resources, Braylovsky billed Medicaid for each office visit, investigators said. Additionally, the source gave Braylovsky $1,600 in cash for a prescription during an office visit on March 18, 2020, and wired $1,600 to Braylovsky’s car after a telehealth appointment on April 30, 2020. The appointment was conducted through FaceTime due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After each prescription was filled, DEA agents sampled the oxycodone pills. Medicaid paid for each prescription filled.

Between January 2016 and May 2020, Medicare and Medicaid paid more than $1.6 million for schedule II medications, including oxycodone, prescribed by Braylovsky. During that time, Medicare and Medicaid also billed Braylovsky’s practices more than $590,000 for routine office visits. The investigation revealed that Braylovsky billed Medicare and Medicaid a total of $199,388.84 for illegal office visits and unnecessary prescriptions.

ARRESTS

Braylovsky and Bousquet were arrested on June 4, 2020.

In August 2021, while on bond and awaiting trial in the case, Braylovsky expressed a desire to hire a hitman to kill or intimidate the confidential source who purchased oxycodone prescriptions from him during the investigation. Braylovsky then met with an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a contract killer. He was arrested again on August 27, 2021 and has been detained since his arrest.

On December 21, 2023, Braylovsky pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute oxycodone and one count of health care fraud.

Braylovsky was ordered to pay $199,388.84 in restitution.

On July 6, 2021, Bousquet pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute oxycodone. She awaits sentencing.

A civil case

In a related civil case, Avery said Braylovsky and Family Practice of Greater New Haven, LLC, had previously entered into a civil settlement agreement with the federal and state governments and paid $398,777.68 to settle allegations that they violated the law. of false claims billing for medical services not provided and issuing prescriptions of unnecessary controlled medical substances, including for oxycodone, to some Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. The settlement covered the time period from January 2016 to June 2020. Braylovsky was the sole medical practitioner of Greater New Haven Family Practice, and the practice no longer exists.

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