AROUND THE WORLD CHIROPRACTIC
CHIROPRACTOR PLEADS GUILTY TO HEALTH CARE FRAUD
Bogalusa, LA. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that DAVID LEE KILLEN, age 43, a resident of Covington, pled guilty today to a one-count Bill of Information for health care fraud. KILLEN admitted to fraudulently billing health care insurance plans for chiropractic and other services that were not rendered or were otherwise unauthorized.
According to court documents, KILLEN was a chiropractor who owned and operated Back on Track Clinic, LLC in Bogalusa. KILLEN billed insurers for chiropractic services, back braces, and X-rays that he did not provide. KILLEN also billed insurers for an expensive allergy test, the antigen leukocyte antibody test, otherwise known as an "‘ALCAT ” KILLEN either did not render the ALCATs or used it to incentivize his patients, bartering for reductions in co-payments or erasing co-payment balances if the patient would agree to the test. KILLEN also fraudulently billed insurers for services using physician provider numbers without authorization, or on days when the physicians were not working in his clinic.
KILLEN faces a maximum tenn of 10 years ’ imprisonment a fine of $250,000, and three years of supervised release following any tenn of imprisonment. U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance set sentencing for April 29, 2015.
U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Department of Health and Human Service’s Office of Inspector General for investigating this matter. Special Assistant United States Attorney Juliana A. Etland is in charge of the prosecution.
Source: http://www.fbi.gov/
CHIROPRACTOR SENTENCED IN HEALTH CARE FRAUD CASE
Dr. Abbas Zahedi Sentenced to 145 Months in Federal Prison and Ordered to Pay Approximately $2,4 Million in Restitution.
FORT WORTH, TX—Alocal chiropractor, who was convicted at trial on felony offenses stemming from his involvement in a health care fraud case, was sentenced this morning, announced John R. Parker, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas
Dr. Abbas Zahedi, 49, of Carrollton, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor to serve 145 months in federal prison and ordered to pay approximately $2,4 million in restitution. He was convicted at trial in June 2014 on all counts of a superseding indictment charging one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, five counts of health care fraud and four counts of aggravated identity theft. Dr. Zahedi. who has been in custody since his conviction, owned and operated DFW Rehab & Diagnostics.
Five other defendants convicted in the case have also been sentenced.
Reginald Guy, 44, of Arlington, Texas, was sentenced to serve 156 months in federal prison and ordered to pay approximately $2.4 million in
restitution. He was convicted at trial on the same offenses as Dr. Zahedi. Guy was a factory worker in Arlington, and from approximately 2003 until November 2009, when his employment was terminated, he served as a union representative.
Guy used that union position to recruit and refer his co-workers to DFW Rehab & Diagnostics, which was operated from the office of Metroplex DFW Sports Rehab Center in Arlington, and then later from a stand-alone location in Grand Prairie, Texas. In exchange for monthly kickbacks, work excuse notes and a variety of prizes, the workers agreed to allow their insurance companies to be billed for services they did not receive.
From 2009 to 2012, Dr. Zahedi. Guv, and their four codefendants conspired to submit health insurance claims to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas (BCBS) and other insurers for services not rendered. These four coconspirators. James Sterns. Tina Perkins. Donna Harris and Gregory Wattron. cooperated with the government in the investigation and testified against Zahedi and Guv at their trial.
Stems, 50, of DeSoto, Texas, was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison and ordered to pay approximately $2.2 million in restitution. Stems owned and operated Metroplex. In early 2010, Stems hired Guy to be the office manager of Metroplex, where he worked in that position to mid2011, shortly before the clinic closed. In March or April 2011, Dr. Zahedi hired Guy to work as a consultant at the clinic’s Grand Prairie location. After Guy began working for Dr. Zahedi, Guy helped transfer patients and patient infonnation to Dr. Zahedi, and the fraudulent referral and billing scheme continued.
Perkins, 43, of Dallas, was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison and was ordered to pay approximately $2.4 million in restitution. Perkins worked as the biller and office consultant for Dr. Zahedi and was responsible for submitting claims to insurance companies.
Perkins’ sister-in-law, Donna Harris, 43 of Haltom City, Texas, was sentenced to eight months in federal prison and was ordered to pay approximately $2 million in restitution. Harris permitted the clinic, in exchange for cash payments, to submit claims to BCBS for services purportedly performed by Dr. Zahedi and Wattron, when in fact she received no treatment. Then, in early 2011, Dr. Zahedi hired Harris to be the office manager at the Grand Prairie location. There, she continued to allow Dr. Zahedi to submit claims under her name to BCBS for services that were not performed. Harris also permitted Dr. Zahedi to submit claims to BCBS for Harris’ immediate and extended family members for services they did not receive.
Wattron, 56, of Grapevine, Texas, was sentenced to six months in federal prison and was ordered to pay approximately $1.3 million in restitution. He worked as an occupational therapist at the clinic from approximately 2008 until August 2011. Wattron agreed to allow Stems and Dr. Zahedi bill insurance companies for occupational therapy that he did not perform.
The FBI and the Office of Personnel Management—Office of Inspector General investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy Larson and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Brasher prosecuted the case.
Source: http://www.fbi.gov/
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