ROCKFORD, IL – Justice, slow as it may be, finally caught up with CHARLES S. DEHAAN, 62, of Belvidere. The former physician was sentenced today to nine years in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Kapala, alongside an order to pay a staggering $2,787,054 in restitution. DeHaan’s crimes? Systematically fleecing Medicare for years.
DeHaan pleaded guilty back in May 2016 to two counts of health care fraud, admitting to a brazen scheme that involved not only overbilling but also the particularly callous act of billing for services rendered to deceased patients. The scheme ran from January 2009 through January 2014, preying on a system designed to help the vulnerable.
According to the plea agreement, DeHaan, while licensed to practice medicine in Illinois, billed Medicare for in-home visits and certifications, falsely claiming patients were ‘homebound.’ He knew full well that Medicare only covers these services when they are genuinely needed and provided. But DeHaan wasn’t providing legitimate care. He was submitting claims for services never rendered, inflating the complexity of visits to maximize reimbursement, and, most disturbingly, pocketing money for patients who were already six feet under.
The level of deceit was staggering. DeHaan routinely billed Medicare at the highest reimbursement rates, even when the visits were simple check-ups. He billed for patients he hadn’t even seen. The audacity of the scheme underscores a chilling disregard for both the law and the patients Medicare is meant to serve. The government’s evidence clearly showed a pattern of deliberate and calculated fraud.
The sentencing was announced by Joel R. Levin, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, alongside Michael J. Anderson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Lamont Pugh III, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation also assisted in the investigation, highlighting the multi-agency effort to dismantle this fraudulent operation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott R. Paccagnini and Talia Bucci successfully prosecuted the case, securing a sentence that, while years in the making, sends a clear message: exploiting the healthcare system for personal gain will not be tolerated. DeHaan will now have three years of supervised release following his nine-year prison term, a small consolation for the millions stolen from a system designed to provide care, not pad the pockets of criminals.
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Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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