A New York City doctor of internal medicine was recently sentenced to 2 years and 9 months in prison for taking bribes in a scheme that revolved around Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services LLC of New Jersey.
The 45-year-old internist pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Federal Travel Act, and the honest services wire fraud statute.
According to newspaper reports, the physician admitted that he accepted more than $66,000 in bribes from Biodiagnostic from March of 2011 through April of 2013. Officials said he typically received between $2,000 and $3,000 per month. His test referrals generated about 10 times that amount in revenue for the company, court documents stated.
Prosecutors claimed that the doctor requested and received an increase in payments after he referred another health care provider to the lab.
In addition to 33 months in prison, the doctor was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and fined $7,500.
The Biodiagnostic investigation has resulted in 37 convictions of doctors involved in the bribery scheme that generated more than $100 million to the company from Medicare and private insurers. News reports indicate that no other case has resulted in the convictions of more medical professionals.
Three other physicians from Staten Island have also been convicted in the case.
So far, more than $13 million in illicit gains have been recovered, prosecutors said. Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services was ordered to forfeit all assets two years ago and is no longer in business.
Health care law attorneys experienced in negotiations and litigation can help clients avoid the harshest sanctions of the law.
