Couple who ran Merrillville weight-loss clinic charged with illegal pill-pushing

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An Illinois couple are facing 35 criminal charges in connection with a scheme pushing weight-loss pills at a Merrillville clinic then hiding $2 million of profit from the government, according to a federal grand jury indictment.

The indictment, filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court in Hammond, claims that Dr. Rakesh Anand, 55, and his wife, Meena Anand, 51, both of Tinley Park, Ill., freely gave out two weight-loss pills at their clinic, Doctors Weight Loss Centers, at 5490 Broadway, to patients without proper medical evaluations and sometimes without a doctor’s order.

The two are charged with conspiring with another, unnamed doctor to perpetuate the scheme from January 2002 to February 2010. The conspiracy included other employees at the weight-loss center and moving the drugs to and from the Anands’ home.

Patients were even given discounts if they paid for a three-months’ supply with cash or a credit card, the indictment charges.

Rakesh Anand also faces six counts of illegally prescribing the drugs to patients.

According to the indictment, business proved successful for the Anands, who also owned weight-loss clinics in Orland Park, Ill., and Lansing, Ill.

The government says about $6.3 million of the Anands’ current assets came from their criminal scheme.

It’s asking for that money, $4.4 million of which has already been seized, to be turned over to the government. Of that money, $700,000 was found in their home, along with $71,000 worth of jewelry.

The indictment claims the Anands took steps to hide their profit from the government.

It charges them with 20 counts of purposely splitting deposits in two to avoid laws that require reporting deposits of $10,000 or more. They also face one conspiracy charge and four charges of lying on their tax returns.

According to the indictment, they reported the company made just $2.1 million in the same time frame it actually made $4.1 million. The couple owe $745,872 in income tax, according to the indictment.

Other counts include three charges of laundering about $600,000.

Each charge carries a maximum prison sentence of five to 10 years, plus fines ranging from $250,000 to $500,000, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s office. In addition, the tax charges come with mandatory payment of prosecution fees and a fine of up to 75 percent of the taxes not paid.

Although filed in Indiana, the case will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Northern District of Illinois.

It isn’t clear if the two have been arrested, and no date has been set for their arraignment.

Contact Teresa Auch Schultz at 648-3120.