New York-licensed pain management doctor and surgeon Sady Ribeiro has pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in a trip-and-fall fraud scheme that spanned several years and defrauded businesses and insurance companies of more than $31,000,000.
Ribeiro, 47, of New York, New York, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
According to the indictment, Ribeiro and his co-conspirators, including Adrian Alexander, the owner of a litigation funding company, staged trip-and-fall accidents and filed fraudulent lawsuits arising from those staged accidents. The scheme involved more than 400 individuals who were recruited to stage or falsely claim to have suffered trip-and-fall accidents at various locations throughout the New York City area.
After the staged trip-and-fall accidents, the individuals were referred to specific attorneys who would file personal injury lawsuits against the owners of the accident sites and/or insurance companies. The lawsuits did not disclose that the individuals had deliberately fallen at the accident sites or, in some cases, had not fallen at all.
Ribeiro, who performed medically unnecessary surgeries on the individuals as part of the scheme, advised them that if they intended to continue with their lawsuits, they were required to undergo surgery. Patients were offered a payment of typically between $1,000 and $1,500 after they completed surgery (Post-Surgery Payments).
As part of his guilty plea, Ribeiro admitted to performing surgeries on individuals regardless of their legitimate medical needs. He also admitted to defrauding businesses and insurance companies of more than $31,000,000 as part of the scheme.
Ribeiro is scheduled to be sentenced on April 17, 2024. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Adrian Alexander, the owner of the litigation funding company, previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud on August 30, 2022.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
Defendant: Sady Ribeiro
Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to commit mail fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud
City and State: New York, New York
Exact Date: August 30, 2022 (plea date)
Sentence: To be determined
Dollar Amount: $31,000,000
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: White Collar Crime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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