Grimy Times has learned that a Minnesota chiropractor has been charged with operating a scheme to defraud automobile insurance companies.
Acting U.S. Attorney Gregory G. Brooker announced a federal indictment charging Timothy Wayne Guthman, 43, a licensed chiropractor, with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of mail fraud. Guthman made his initial appearance last week in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis.
The indictment alleges that from 2012 through 2015, Guthman engaged in a scheme to defraud automobile insurance companies by submitting fraudulent no-fault insurance claims and receiving reimbursements through his chiropractic clinics. These claims were for services that either were not medically necessary or were never rendered.
According to the indictment, Guthman prescribed and purportedly provided services that were not determined medically necessary by the physical condition of each patient, but were instead designed to fraudulently maximize reimbursement from the patients’ automobile insurance companies.
The indictment also alleges that Guthman made illegal kickback payments to patient recruiters, known as ‘runners.’ The kickback payments typically ranged between $500 and $1,500 per automobile accident patient that the runner brought to Guthman’s clinics. Guthman would often require a refund of the kickback payment if the patient failed to attend a minimum number of treatment sessions.
In order to keep the patients coming back for medically unnecessary appointments, the runners often paid illegal kickbacks to the patients. This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Minnesota Department of Commerce Fraud Bureau and the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys John E. Kokkinen and David M. Maria are prosecuting the case. The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Related Federal Cases
- Timothy Wayne Guthman, Health Care Fraud Conspiracy, MN 2012 · Minnesota
- Seng Xiong, Elder Fraud Scheme, Minnesota 2024 · Washington
- Julius Lee Boston, Tax Return Fraud, Minnesota 2012 · Minnesota
- Jeremy J. Fishnick, Wire Fraud, Cedar Rapids IA, 2023 · Iowa
- Abel Hernandez-Labra, Passport Fraud, Hampton IA, 2023 · Iowa
Key Facts
- State: Minnesota
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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