Leonard Langman, Health Care Fraud, New York 2009

Health Care Fraud Rocks Brooklyn Medical Clinic

A Brooklyn neurologist has pleaded guilty to health care fraud, marking the latest in a string of high-profile cases to hit the city’s medical community. Leonard Langman, M.D., a neurologist who owned and operated a Brooklyn medical clinic, pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud before U.S. District Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto in Brooklyn.

According to court documents, Langman caused false and fraudulent claims to be submitted to Medicare, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP), the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board (NYS-WCB), the New York State Insurance Fund (SIF), and various private health insurance carriers. The scheme, which spanned from January 2006 to December 2009, saw Langman submit claims for services that were not provided, misrepresent the services he provided, and double-bill different health care benefit programs for the same service provided to the same beneficiary.

Langman’s guilty plea is a significant blow to the medical community, highlighting the pervasive nature of health care fraud in the city. As part of his plea agreement, Langman faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for December 2, 2011.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney James Hayes of the Fraud Section. The investigation was conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General, and the New York State Workers Compensation Board’s Office of Inspector General.

Langman’s case is part of a larger effort to combat health care fraud, which has resulted in the prosecution of over 1,000 defendants who have collectively falsely billed the Medicare program for over $2.3 billion since the inception of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force in March 2007.

To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), visit www.stopmedicarefraud.gov.

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