WEST PALM BEACH, FL – Dr. Salomon Melgen, a once-prominent ophthalmologist, has been convicted on all sixty-seven criminal counts leveled against him in a sprawling Medicare fraud scheme. A federal jury in South Florida delivered the guilty verdict today, bringing an end to a case that exposed a brazen pattern of false billing and patient exploitation.
The scheme, conducted through Melgen’s practices – “Vitreo Retinal Consultants” and “The Melgen Retina Eye Center” in Palm Beach and St. Lucie Counties – involved falsely diagnosing patients with macular degeneration to justify unnecessary tests and procedures. Over a six-year period, from January 2008 through December 2013, Melgen allegedly siphoned off more than $90 million from the Medicare program. His practice shuttered following his arrest in April 2015.
“For years, Dr. Melgen knowingly made false diagnoses and submitted fraudulent bills in order to illegally line his pockets with millions of dollars intended for the legitimate diagnosis and treatment of Medicare patients,” fumed Acting U.S. Attorney Benjamin G. Greenberg in a statement. “Today’s 67 count guilty verdict speaks volumes about the extent of this fraud. Dr. Melgen will now be held accountable for perpetuating a massive fraud scheme that caused millions of dollars in losses.”
Federal investigators, including the FBI, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), and the United States Railroad Retirement Board Office of Inspector General (RRB-OIG), spent years building the case against Melgen. George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Miami Field Office, made it clear: “No matter what the scheme or how elaborately it is disguised, the FBI and our law enforcement partners will investigate and criminally prosecute such fraud to the fullest extent of the law.”
The conviction sends a strong message, according to Shimon Richmond, Special Agent in Charge of HHS-OIG. “Physicians who exploit Medicare patients through intentional misdiagnosis and medically unnecessary services just to boost their own profits have no place in our health care system,” he stated. DCIS and RRB-OIG also emphasized their commitment to protecting federal programs from abuse.
Dr. Melgen is scheduled to be sentenced on July 14, 2017, before U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth A. Marra in West Palm Beach. He faces a maximum of 10 years imprisonment for each of the thirty-seven health care fraud counts, and 5 years for each of the thirty false claims and false entry counts. Grimy Times will be in the courtroom when the sentence is handed down.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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