Richland –William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Sami Anwar, 42, of Richland, WA, was found guilty late Friday of Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud, and 45 additional charged crimes including Wire Fraud, Mail Fraud, Obtaining Controlled Substances Through Fraud, and Furnishing False Information to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

According to the Superseding Indictment on which Sami Anwar was found guilty of all counts, and the evidence presented during the three-week long trial, between 2013 and 2018 Sami Anwar headed a conspiracy to have his companies fraudulently pose as legitimate human clinical research trial sites and provided mountains of false clinical research trial data regarding drug safety and drug efficacy to dozens of drug companies and, through them, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The false clinical research data that Sami Anwar injected into the public health system included safety data on dozens of different drugs and medicines designed to treat a wide variety of diseases and conditions including, but not limited to, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, pediatric illnesses, adolescent smoking, cirrhosis, scabies, depression, and opioid addiction to name just a few, according the evidence presented at trial. The evidence at trial indicated that Sami Anwar and his companies received over $5.6 million dollars from the fraud.

According to court documents and the evidence presented at trial, Sami Anwar, who is not a licensed medical doctor, would pose as a doctor and forge the signatures of the doctors he employed. In addition, over a dozen former employees of Sami Anwar testified that he directly instructed them to assist him in committing the fraud including falsifying medical records and data to admit dozens of ineligible research subjects; falsifying research data including electrocardiograms and vital signs, obtaining blood specimens from Sami Anwar’s employees or stealing them from unwitting medical patients of his medical center, disposing of study medications by shooting them down the drain and then falsely recording them as having been properly injected as required, dangerously hoarding opioids intended to be dispensed to study subjects, and fabricating required subject diary entries.

According to the evidence presented at trial and the Superseding Indictment, Sami Anwar not only directed the fraud but engaged in threats, retaliation, and intimidation in order to hide his crimes from drug companies, the FDA, which regulates human clinical trials in the United States, and law enforcement. At trial numerous former employees of Sami Anwar testified that Anwar filed false police reports, made false allegations to the Washington State Department of Health, the FDA, threatened them at their homes, at their places of work, slashed their tires, and stalked them in order to prevent them from cooperating with the authorities.

United States Attorney Hyslop stated, “Every day, Americans rely on the data from clinical research trials to keep us safe from deadly diseases and dangerous side effects. Injecting fraudulent and corrupt data into the system is an egregious breach of the trust and faith we all place in those who perform these vitally important trials.” Hyslop continued, “Based on the evidence presented at trial, and the jury’s unanimous verdict, Mr. Anwar profited from his blatant disregard for patient safety by running his fraudulent enterprise through fear and intimidation. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that those who continue to abuse this trust and undermine our health care system are brought to justice.”

Two of Sami Anwar’s companies, Zain Research LLC and Mid Columbia Research LLC, were also convicted of participating in the conspiracy.

After the jury delivered their unanimous verdict Senior Judge Edward F. Shea set sentencing for March 11, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. in Richland, WA. Sami Anwar will remain in custody pending sentencing. The maximum term of incarceration for each count of fraud is 20 years in federal prison.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dan Fruchter and Tyler Tornabene. The case was investigated by DEA Diversion Investigators Craig Tom and Kevin Tripp. Subject matter expertise was provided by the Food and Drug Administration.

Spokane – Today, Joseph H. Harrington, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced the unsealing of a 47-count Federal Indictment against two Richland, Washington based companies, Mid Columbia Research LLC and Zain Research LLC, and their owner, Sami Anwar. The Indictment charges the defendants with conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, fraudulently obtaining controlled substances, and furnishing false information to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The Indictment also seeks the forfeiture of at least $274,642.80 representing the proceeds of the alleged fraud.

The Indictment charges that between July 2016 and January 2018, the defendants fraudulently conducted and falsified a drug trial designed to study an experimental alternative treatment for daily opioid users who suffered from chronic pain. The Indictment charges that the defendants enrolled ineligible study subjects and forged physician signatures and falsified medical records and other documentation designed to make it appear as though a licensed physician had determined that the subjects were eligible for the study. The Indictment further charges that the defendants falsified records and study data designed to make it appear as though subjects were participating in the study and were receiving the experimental treatment when they were not, in order to falsely bill for the study and obtain over a quarter of a million dollars from the drug company that was sponsoring the study. The Indictment charges that the defendants created false and fraudulent documentation to hide the fraud from the sponsor, monitors, and federal regulators. The Indictment also charges that the defendants fraudulently obtained controlled substances, including the narcotic opioids hydrocodone/acetaminophen (which is commonly sold as Vicodin) and morphine, by falsely representing that these drugs would be and were being used for legitimate research purposes when they were not. Finally, the Indictment charges that the defendants submitted a false and fraudulent application to the DEA in a failed attempt to obtain

Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (commonly known as “GHB” or the “date rape drug”) for a separate sleep disorder study that the defendants also hoped to obtain funding for.

United States Attorney Harrington said “Investigating fraud and opioid-related crimes is a top priority for the Department of Justice. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington will continue to use all of the investigative and legal tools available to us to do so.”

DEA Special Agent in Charge of the Pacific Northwest Region Keith Weis was extremely pleased with today’s announcement, stating that “Conducting legitimate research is the foundation in which modern medicine is built on. To exploit that under the false premise of conducting lifesaving research to aid those who suffer opioid dependency is appalling, illegal, and criminal.” Weis further added that, “This investigative action in Eastern Washington is part of a continuing state wide strategy addressing illicit opioid access and diversion currently endangering our communities.”

The conspiracy, mail, and wire fraud charges against Defendant Sami Anwar each carry a maximum penalty of a 20-year term of imprisonment; a $250,000 fine, or double the gross gain or gross loss, whichever is greater; a 3-year term of court supervision; and restitution. Following the grand jury’s return of the Indictment, United States Magistrate Judge Mary K. Dimke issued a warrant for the seizure of over $175,000 from one of Mr. Anwar’s bank accounts constituting some of the proceeds of the alleged fraud.

An Indictment is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the Government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

This investigation was conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. This case is being prosecuted by Dan Fruchter and Tyler H.L. Tornabene, Assistant United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of Washington.