In Florida, criminal charges can lead to severe penalties. If there is a belief that charges can only be lodged against those who have committed violent acts, used weapons to steal, taken part in burglaries, been involved with drugs or driven under the influence, it is a mistake. Other crimes can result in an arrest and conviction. A common crime for which people can find themselves facing serious consequences is fraud. White collar crimes may not sound as serious as other illegal acts, but can result in hefty penalties. Often, these involve professional people who are well-regarded in the community.
A doctor is facing accusations of health care fraud at his medical practice. Among the allegations are charging insurers for surgeries that were never done, performing surgeries that were not needed and taking patients from local hospitals for his own practice. Overall, there are 58 federal counts against him – 57 for health care fraud and one for conspiracy to commit health care fraud. His office manager was also placed under arrest. The incidents occurred between Sept. 2015 and Feb. 2020.
According to the indictment, the doctor would perform a certain procedure even if it was not necessary. If he performed two procedures, he would bill the insurer for twice that or more. Consent forms and statements were fraudulent and used to recover the payments. The doctor is said to have charged $21,000 per procedure for more than 50 false claims. Within five years, the doctor claimed that he completed a minimum of 36,000 procedures. Of those, 90% were fraudulent bilking the government of at least $23 million. Among the other accusations are that he claimed to have completed surgeries while he was traveling the world. Cash, weapons and a prepaid mobile phone were found during a search of his office.
A conviction for financial crimes can have worse penalties than violent crimes. This is especially true when the amount of money reaches millions of dollars. Whether the charges are for embezzlement, fraud, a Ponzi scheme, money laundering or any other white collar case, having a strong defense can be imperative. Regardless of the circumstances, a law firm experienced in criminal defense might be able to help.
