Dr. Omar Garcia, Health Care Fraud, Illinois 2023
CHICAGO — A devastating case of health care fraud has been uncovered in the Windy City, with a physician facing serious charges for allegedly approving medically unnecessary tests billed to Medicare.
According to a federal indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Chicago on Thursday, Dr. Omar Garcia, 51, of Ocala, Florida, and formerly of Illinois, is accused of prescribing and authorizing ultrasounds, percutaneous allergen tests, and nerve transmission tests for numerous Medicare beneficiaries, despite knowing that the in-home tests were not medically necessary. In some instances, Dr. Garcia approved the tests after they had already been completed, the indictment states.
The indictment alleges that Dr. Garcia and others submitted or caused to be submitted fraudulent claims to Medicare for payment of the unnecessary tests, resulting in significant financial losses for the taxpayer-funded program. The scheme is believed to have begun in 2011 and continued until 2015.
Dr. Garcia, who worked for Chicago-based Grand Medical Clinic Inc., is currently facing six counts of health care fraud, each punishable by a maximum sentence of ten years in prison. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt, and Dr. Garcia is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Jeffrey S. Sallet, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Lamont Pugh III, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Region of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General; and Martin J. Dickman, Inspector General of the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration provided valuable assistance. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Chahn Lee.
Dr. Garcia’s fate now hangs in the balance as he awaits arraignment. The public remains vigilant, aware that the case is ongoing and that justice will be served once the facts are presented in court.
Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Category: Health Care Fraud
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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