OHIO — An Ohio pharmacist who spent more than a decade as a fugitive has pleaded guilty to a federal fraud charge after being arrested overseas earlier this year.
Federal prosecutors said 57-year-old Sbeih Sbeih, formerly of North Olmsted, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service. Sbeih was arrested in February in the country of Georgia after evading authorities for 11 years.
According to prosecutors, Sbeih was indicted in 2014 for concealing income from a pharmaceutical business. Court documents allege that he and co-defendant Osama Salouha, 54, formerly of Strongsville, conspired to divert money from Salouha’s businesses — Southside Pharmacy in Lorain and Medicine Center Pharmacy in Elyria — into personal bank accounts to hide income from the IRS.
Prosecutors also allege that Salouha was involved in the illicit sale of opioids and opiates. He remains a fugitive.
Salouha’s wife, Samah Salouha, 48, formerly of Strongsville, pleaded guilty in 2015 to making false statements and structuring bank deposits to avoid triggering IRS reporting requirements. She was sentenced to three years of probation.
Sbeih’s guilty plea comes more than a decade after the original indictment, following his arrest overseas and extradition to face the federal charges.
