2 New Jersey Nurses Charged in Alleged $20.7 Million Medicare Kickback Scheme

Two Ocean County advanced practice nurses are among six medical professionals and staff charged in an alleged $20.7 million Medicare and Medicaid kickback scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey. Prosecutors say the nurses accepted cash in exchange for writing prescriptions for high-reimbursement medications that were then billed to taxpayer-funded health programs.

Nikki Steidle, 53, of Toms River, and Ashlee Maixner, 39, of Lakehurst, both worked as advanced practice nurses for emergency medicine physician Dr. Boris Veysman. Steidle pleaded guilty on June 30, 2026, while Maixner was arraigned in late June and has pleaded not guilty. The charges against Maixner are allegations that have not been proven in court, and she is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The nurses are two of six defendants named in a wide-ranging federal case that also includes a doctor, a pharmacy owner, and two office staffers. Authorities say the fraud caused a loss of approximately $20,684,264 to Medicare and Medicaid between October 2022 and November 2025.

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According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, pharmacy owner Sherif Elmasri, 45, of Morganville, paid illegal cash kickbacks and bribes to several health care providers in exchange for them issuing prescriptions for high-reimbursement medications that Elmasri selected. Those prescriptions were written for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and generated insurance claims for Elmasri’s pharmacies.

Steidle and Maixner allegedly received kickbacks from Elmasri for writing such prescriptions, and both were also charged with unlawfully distributing controlled substances. Steidle pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States, soliciting and receiving kickbacks, offering and paying kickbacks, and unlawfully distributing controlled substances. Maixner faces the same conspiracy and controlled-substance counts plus two counts of soliciting and receiving a kickback.

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A Doctor, a Pharmacist, and Office Staff

The nurses were not the only medical professionals charged. Dr. Boris Veysman, 48, of Freehold, an emergency medicine physician, pleaded guilty to health care fraud conspiracy and unlawfully distributing controlled substances. Prosecutors say Veysman at times issued prescriptions to patients referred by Elmasri without examining them. Elmasri also pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit health care fraud and to violating the federal Anti-Kickback Statute.

Two others rounded out the case. Stephanie Cupo, 45, of South Plainfield, a provider employee, pleaded guilty in connection with submitting false prior authorizations, and Janet Tadros, 59, of Union City, an office manager for a Jersey City neurology practice, admitted soliciting roughly $3,000 per week in cash kickbacks for routing medically unnecessary prescriptions to Elmasri’s pharmacies.

U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer said in a statement that “The District of New Jersey remains committed to aggressively rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse committed by doctors, pharmacists, and medical professionals who betray their patients in pursuit of greed.”

FBI Newark Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy added that the defendants shared “a complete disrespect for the Medicare and Medicaid programs that so many Americans rely on.”

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Field Division.

For the vast majority of nurses who never touch a kickback, cases like this still land close to home. Advanced practice nurses hold prescriptive authority and DEA registrations, and that power comes with intense federal scrutiny. Accepting anything of value in exchange for prescribing decisions can trigger the Anti-Kickback Statute, and prescribing controlled substances without a legitimate patient evaluation can bring criminal distribution charges, regardless of whether a physician signs off.

The case is also a reminder that a nursing license is not a shield. When prosecutors allege fraud, the consequences can include prison time, loss of licensure, and permanent exclusion from federal health programs. Nurses who feel pressured by an employer or a pharmacy to write prescriptions that do not fit a patient’s needs have avenues to push back, including compliance hotlines, state boards of nursing, and federal whistleblower protections. Understanding where the legal line sits protects both patients and your own career.

🤔 If you saw a colleague being pressured to write prescriptions that didn’t seem medically necessary, would you know exactly who to report it to? Tell us in the comments below.