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$30M Medicare Scheme Doctor Sentenced
EWALD J. ANTOINE, 67, of Valley Stream, New York, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison for his role in a massive $30 million scheme to defraud Medicare and the New York State Medicaid Program.
ANTOINE, a physician, pleaded guilty on January 11, 2018, to health care fraud and conspiracy to commit health care fraud, mail fraud, and wire fraud. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield on [date] and ordered to pay restitution of $1,825,544 and to forfeit $269,412 in ill-gotten gains.
According to court documents, ANTOINE falsely posed as the owner of two medical clinics, which were actually owned by corrupt businessman Aleksandr Burman. He claimed to have examined and treated hundreds of patients whom he had not in fact seen.
The scheme, which operated between 2007 and 2013, saw Burman’s six medical clinics in Brooklyn submit fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicaid for approximately $30 million in medical services and supplies that were not provided or were otherwise fraudulently billed.
ANTOINE and his co-conspirators prepared false medical records to support the reimbursement claims. ANTOINE signed medical charts falsely stating that he had examined patients and wrote prescriptions and referrals for medically unnecessary and/or non-existent tests and supplies.
This is the eighth defendant to be sentenced in the case, which has seen several other high-profile convictions, including that of Aleksandr Burman, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in a related case.
The case is a stark reminder of the devastating impact of healthcare fraud on U.S. taxpayers and those in need of medical services. U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said, ‘The Medicare and Medicaid programs are intended to provide essential medical services to the elderly and the needy, not to enrich corrupt doctors and other fraudsters.’
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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