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$1.6M Scheme: Glastonbury Psychologist Admits Submitting Fraudulent Medicaid Claims
A 75-year-old psychologist from Connecticut has admitted to submitting false Medicaid claims as part of a more than $1.6 million scheme, federal officials announced.
Hartford County resident Michael Pines of Avon, a Glastonbury-based psychologist, pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud charges on Wednesday, Jan. 31, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut announced.
According to federal officials, Pines, who owned and operated Michael B. Pines, Ph.D., P.C., provided psychotherapy to young children, adolescents, and adults and had been individually enrolled…
Kings Point Doctor Forced Invasive, Unnecessary Tests On Patients, Attorney General Claims
A New York doctor has been indicted for his alleged involvement in a kickback scheme that involved him defrauding Medicaid and giving patients unnecessary tests, officials announced.
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Wednesday, Nov. 22 the indictment of Long Island resident Payam Toobian, M.D., alongside his company, America’s Imaging Center, Inc., for over 10 years of alleged Medicaid fraud.
Through his corporation, Toobian, age 51, of King's Point, ran Empire’s Imaging, a diagnostic radiology center based in Queens.
From January 2006 to August 2017, the AG’s Office …
$695K Scheme: Former New London Counselor Convicted Of Submitting False Medicaid Claims
A former New London County counselor has admitted to submitting thousands of dollars of fraudulent claims to Medicaid for therapy services he never provided, officials said.
Former East Lyme resident Jeffrey Slocum, age 55, pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud and kickback charges on Wednesday, Aug. 16, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut announced.
According to federal officials, between 2017 and 2022, Slocum, who now lives in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was a licensed professional counselor with a New London office located at 300 State St. …
Ex-Nurse Avoids Jailtime For Stealing Boston Patients' Opioids: Feds
A former nurse who admitted to stealing opioids from her patients and a locked medicine cabinet at two Boston-area hospitals will not serve any jail time, federal authorities announced.
Lisa Tarr, 33, of St. Petersburg, Fla., was sentenced to five years of probation, with the first year being spent in home detention, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said. Tarr pleaded guilty last year to four counts of unlawfully obtaining controlled substances by fraud, deception, and subterfuge.
Tarr was a student nurse at a Boston-area hospital in August 2018, where she told investigators she…
'Cheated': Recovery Centers Across Mass Close, Operators Charged With Millions In Fraud: Feds
Instead of fostering recovery, the operator of a chain of addiction treatment centers used his position to launder money, steal millions of dollars, and write prescriptions under doctors' names without permission, said the US attorney's office.
Michael Brier, of Newton, used his position as operator of Recovery Connections Centers of America to rake in millions of dollars from Medicare, Medicaid, and other such organizations by falsifying healthcare claims, back-dating documents, and writing prescriptions using the names of doctors without their permission, according to Unite…
Former MassHealth Employee Sentenced For Racking Up $112K In Fake Services: AG
A 28-year-old man from Lowell was sentenced to two years in jail for cheating MassHealth out of more than $100,000 as an employee, Attorney General Maura Healy announced on Thursday, Sept. 22.
Investigators determined that Abdinafa Maow, who worked as a Personal Care Attendant for MassHealth, got paid for services that he never performed between 2015 and 2020, Healy said.
He along with his relative, Abdikadir Maow, were previously indicted on one count of false Medicaid claims and larceny over $1,200.
Overall, the duo received more than $112,000 for these fa…
Lowell Nurse Pleads Guilty To $100M Medicare, MassHealth Fraud, Kickback Scheme: Feds
A 42-year-old Lowell nurse pleaded guilty in federal court earlier this month to a scheme that prosecutors say defrauded at least $100 million from Medicare and MassHealth.
Winnie Waruru admitted in court on Sept. 8 to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, aiding and abetting healthcare fraud, conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks, and multiple counts of lying to federal investigators, the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Waruru worked as a licensed practical nurse for Arbor Homecare Services LLC, where investigators said she and a co-owner of the business, Faith Newton, failed to train staff,…
Pittsfield Nurse Admits To Stealing Fentanyl From Critical Care Patient
A Western Massachusetts nurse has admitted to stealing fentanyl that was being administered to a patient in a hospital's critical care unit.
Berkshire County resident Jessica Lotto, age 36, of Pittsfield, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, May 31, to one count of acquiring a controlled substance by fraud, deceit, or subterfuge, according to an announcement from Rachael Rollins, United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.
She was charged in November of 2021, Rollins said.
According to the announcement, while working at Berkshire Medical Center in February of 2019, Lott…
Colchester Native Convicted Of Killing His Wife, Three Children, Family Dog
A physical therapist from Connecticut has been convicted of killing his wife, three children, and the family dog by a jury.
Anthony Todt, a New London County native who grew up in Colchester, was found guilty on Thursday, April 14 in Kissimmee, Florida, located just minutes from Disney World.
Todt, age 46, reportedly commuted between Florida to Connecticut to his Colchester business, Family Physical Therapy.
The former physical therapist was arrested in 2020 for drugging and stabbing to death his wife Megan, age 42, along with their children, Alek, age 13, Tyler, age 11, and Zoe…
Covid-19: Feds Charge Rockland Doctor, Wife With $1.3M Genetic Testing Scheme
COVID-19 hardly fazed a Rockland doctor who, with his wife, continued to collect bribes and kickbacks in exchange for ordering millions of dollars in genetic tests from his offices in Pennsylvania, a federal grand jury in Newark, New Jersey charged.
Yitzchok “Barry” Kurtzer, age 61, and Robin Kurtzer, age 60, both of Monsey, collected monthly cash kickbacks and bribes ranging in exchange for “collecting DNA samples from Medicare patients and sending them for genetic tests to clinical laboratories in New Jersey and Pennsylvania,” beginning in 2018, Acting US Attorney for New Jersey Rachael Ho…
Authorities: Ring Got 30,000 Painkiller Pills With Prescription Blanks Swiped From NJ Hospitals
Using prescription blanks stolen from hospitals in Bergen and Passaic counties, a crew used a single pharmacy to get its hands on 30,000 high-dose oxycodone pills, including a year’s worth of painkillers prescribed to a dead man, authorities charged.
The volume eventually gave them away, state and federal law enforcement officials said.
Milagros Santiago, 43, of Haledon, was working as a pharmacy technician at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson when she swiped prescription blanks, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said.
The forged blanks were then filled at Panther Vall…
