LINCOLN — The former owner of pharmacies in Neligh and Tilden has been sentenced to prison and ordered to pay more than $573,000 in restitution to Medicare and Medicaid for prescription fraud.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Danelle Charf, 49, of Neligh, had billed for name-brand prescriptions but supplied customers with generic brands, and had submitted hundreds of reimbursement claims for prescriptions that were never filled.

A tip led to an investigation into the Tilden Pharmacy and Wanek Pharmacy in Neligh. The probe by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and Nebraska Attorney General’s Office began in the fall of 2020.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Robert Rossiter sentenced Charf to two months’ imprisonment, along with three years of supervised release and required payment of $573,337 in restitution to Medicare and Medicaid.