Archive for August 2023
DOJ Healthcare Fraud Crackdown on COVID-19 Testing Scam
The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) aggressive crackdown on COVID-19 testing scams finds healthcare providers under scrutiny.
Read MoreFlorida Man Pleads Guilty in Multimillion-Dollar DME Medicare Kickback Case
An Orlando, Fla. man faces up to ten years behind bars for his role in a durable medical equipment (DME) kickback scheme in which he and his co-conspirators were paid approximately $2.1 million and caused losses to Medicare and other healthcare benefit programs of at least $3.6 million. Patrick Fitchner pleaded guilty in New Jersey…
Read MorePennsylvania Lab Owner Sentenced to Prison in Illegal Kickback Scheme Involving Labs
The owner of two Pennsylvania testing labs in was sentenced to 18 months in prison, ordered to forfeit $9 million in criminal proceeds and pay more than $77 million in restitution for his involvement in an illegal kickback scheme. Ravitej Reddy pleaded guilty in 2020 to three conspiracy counts and one substantive count related to…
Read MoreBrain Health Scan Company Founder Settles False Claims Act Whistleblower Lawsuit
The co-founder of a New York-based company that purported to provide brain health scans (EEGs) for early detection of cognitive impairments has agreed to pay $220,000 to resolve allegations he violated the False Claims Act. The company, Evoke Neuroscience Inc., also will pay $225,000. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, David Hagedorn, Evoke’s co-founder…
Read MoreMaryland MD Convicted in COVID-19 Fraud Case with Nationwide Ties
A Maryland doctor who was one of 18 people indicted in April 2022 as part of a nationwide crackdown on COVID-19-related fraud has been convicted on five counts of healthcare fraud. According to court documents and evidence presented during trial, between March 2020 and December 2021, Ron Elfenbein submitted more than $15 million in false…
Read MoreLaboratory Owner, Serial Entrepreneur Target of DOJ Complaint Alleging He Violated the False Claims Act
A man who dubbed himself a “serial entrepreneur†is the target of a complaint alleging he violated the False Claims Act by submitting more than 24,000 false claims to Medicare for more than 300,000 respiratory pathogen panel tests that were not ordered by healthcare providers, not medically necessary, or never performed. The defendants billed and received…
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