By Wendy Vasquez

A psychiatric nurse practitioner formerly based in Albany has been sentenced to prison after admitting to a scheme involving fake therapy bills, misused pandemic relief funds, and the illegal distribution of Adderall.

Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III announced that Anja Salamack, 50, of Delray Beach, Florida, received a sentence of 18 months in federal prison followed by one year of home detention. The sentencing, handed down in late October by U.S. District Court Judge Ann M. Nardacci, follows Salamack’s guilty plea to charges of health care fraud and unlawful drug distribution.

According to federal prosecutors, Salamack operated a medical practice where she claimed to provide services in Albany while actually residing in Florida. The charges stem from a dual-pronged scheme targeting both financial systems and controlled substance regulations.

Court documents reveal that Salamack billed health care benefit programs in New York for psychotherapy and management services that never took place. These fraudulent claims resulted in losses totaling $163,639.58.

Simultaneously, investigators uncovered a pattern of drug diversion. Between November 2018 and May 2023, Salamack issued 108 prescriptions for amphetamine—commonly known as Adderall—in the name of a person who had not been her patient since 2016. Prosecutors stated that Salamack wrote these prescriptions for non-medical purposes at the request of the former patient’s relative.

“Anja Salamack’s actions were no different from those of any drug trafficker, when she knowingly chose to put profits above the health and well-being of those lives she took an oath to help,” said DEA New York Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino.

In addition to the criminal sentencing, Salamack resolved a separate civil liability regarding her misuse of federal funds. She admitted to using $48,670 in Provider Relief Funds—money allocated by the CARES Act to help medical providers during the COVID-19 pandemic—for impermissible personal expenses.

As part of the judgment, Salamack has been ordered to pay full restitution to the fraud victims, a $10,000 criminal fine, and $188,850 to resolve her False Claims Act liability. She has also surrendered her DEA registration, effectively ending her ability to prescribe controlled substances.

“This medical professional abused the privilege of providing care to others, and now she will pay the price for it,” Sarcone stated.

The prosecution was part of the Department of Justice’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, a coordinated nationwide sweep that charged 324 defendants involved in alleged schemes totaling over $14.6 billion in false billings.

Salamack will serve two years of supervised release following her incarceration.