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Physician, Two Others Charged in $10M Health Care Fraud Scheme
A grand jury indictment was unsealed today charging Patrick Wittbrodt, a physician from Genesee County, along with Dr. April Tyler and Jeffrey Fillmore, with health care fraud and Patrick Wittbrodt with money laundering, announced United States Attorney Matthew Schneider.
The indictment charges the defendants with a conspiracy to commit health care fraud and 17 counts of health care fraud. The indictment specifically charges that between 2014 and 2017, the defendants would attend meetings of the United Auto Workers (“UAW”) union. At those meetings, the defendants touted unnecessary prescription pain cream, scar cream, pain patches and vitamins to UAW members.
The prescriptions were unnecessary because Dr. April Tyler did not establish a valid doctor-patient relationship with any of the UAW members and/or did not determine medical necessity for the prescriptions she wrote for the UAW members. Many of the compounded pain and scar creams were billed to the insurance company at over $15,000 per prescription.
Over the course of the conspiracy, the defendants caused fraudulent claims to be submitted to Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan and/or Express Scripts totaling approximately $9,500,000. Over the same period, Medicare paid over $800,000 in fraudulent prescription claims.
Patrick Wittbrodt is also charged with seven counts of money laundering in connection with the illegal proceeds of the health care fraud conspiracy.
“Health care fraud involving medically necessary prescriptions not only is dangerous to those patients receiving the drugs, but also drives up the cost of health care for everyone,” stated United States Attorney Matthew Schneider. “This indictment demonstrates that our office is committed to stamping out health care fraud in the Eastern District of Michigan.”
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Heesters and Health Care Fraud Chief Wayne F. Pratt. The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Each defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Key Facts
- State: Michigan
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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