Chicago Chiropractor Ripped Off $750K in Health Care Scam

A Chicago chiropractor has been convicted of federal health care fraud charges for billing a private insurer for nonexistent services. Clarence W. Brown III, 48, of Chicago, was found guilty on all nine health care fraud counts against him.

From 2016 to 2020, Brown submitted fraudulent claims to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois for purported health care services that Brown knew were not actually provided to patients. Some of the fraudulent claims were for services purportedly provided on dates when Brown was not in Illinois.

Brown prepared false patient medical records and other documents to support his fraudulent claims. Brown billed BCBS approximately $1.3 million for services purportedly provided to members of two families that were not actually provided, and, as a result, fraudulently obtained approximately $750,000 from the carrier.

A two-week trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago ended with a jury convicting Brown on April 12, 2024. U.S. District Judge John F. Kness set sentencing for July 23, 2024. Brown could face up to 10 years in federal prison for each of the nine health care fraud counts.

The conviction was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Misty N. Wright and Andréa L. Campbell.

Brown operated Dr. CB3 Wellness, Inc. and Apex Integrated Medical Center, Ltd. in Chicago. The case against Brown highlights the ongoing issue of health care fraud in the United States, with billions of dollars lost each year to scammers and con artists.