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A 70-year-old physician from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, has been sentenced to 40 months in prison for his role in a nationwide telemedicine fraud scheme that bilked Medicare out of $1.25 million. Dr. David Antonio Becerril, a licensed Washington physician, participated in the scheme between February 2018 and September 2019, falsely billing Medicare for medically unnecessary genetic tests and durable medical equipment. The scheme involved contracting with a fraudulent telemedicine and telemarketing company, Real Time Physicians, LLC, which paid Dr. Becerril $20 for each phony prescription he signed.
Dr. Becerril was convicted after a jury trial in September 2025 of 16 felony counts, including conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and multiple counts of health care fraud, wire fraud, and false statements relating to health care matters. The evidence presented at trial showed that Dr. Becerril signed false and fraudulent orders for genetic tests and braces for elderly Medicare beneficiaries he had never seen or spoken to, including deceased patients and those with no limbs.
Dr. Becerril’s role in the scheme was to review prescriptions from Real Time for an average of 26 seconds before signing them and falsely attesting to their medical necessity. He was ordered to pay restitution in the full amount he defrauded from Medicare, $1,250,667.19, and to forfeit $37,340, the amount he directly profited from the scheme.
Chief District Court Judge Stanely A. Bastian sentenced Dr. Becerril on July 8, 2026, also ordering him to serve a 3-year term of court supervision after his release from federal prison. The case highlights the ongoing issue of telemedicine fraud and the need for increased scrutiny of medical billing practices.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Defendant: Washington
- Location: WA
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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