A Fort Myers doctor has apparently admitted to defrauding taxpayer-supported Medicare and Tricare by receiving kickbacks for prescribing certain durable medical equipment and pain medications.
The doctor pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to taking more than $470,000 in illegal payments from the supplies and pharmacy businesses between 2010 and 2016, court documents show.
Investigators say the physician paid medical supplier A&G Spinal Solutions $50,000 to put his wife on their payroll and give her 10 percent of the profit stemming from equipment referrals he made to them.
According to related court documents, two co-conspirators and managing partners in the supply business needed the money to pay a tax bill of that same amount. Both have pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme.
The physician also put together a similar arrangement with an unnamed co-conspirator to receive a share of prescription sales, according to reports.
Finally, between 2013 and 2015, the doctor allegedly received kickbacks from sales representatives and other employees to receive fees for his participation in “largely bogus” speaker event programs, the plea agreement states.
Medicare fraud charges are not uncommon in today’s times. Thousands of unsuspecting and innocent health care providers are forced to defend their actions or face serious criminal consequences every day. Many of these investigations are the result of unfair and overzealous state and federal officials. These federal agents and regulators, who specialize in health care fraud, will raid a practice and demand health care records, computers, etc. and then tell the doctors they are basically out of business. The important thing to understand is that you must assert your rights.
The best reaction you can have is to call an attorney that is skilled in health care fraud. Our Florida Medicare Fraud Defense Attorneys specialize in health care fraud and can establish a strong defense against these allegations. We understand that healthcare providers are dedicated to their line of work and deserve the most powerful defense when their integrity and actions are called into question.
For a free consultation, please call us today at 866-608-5529 or contact us online.