TUCSON, Ariz. — A Tucson podiatrist who turned his medical practice into a criminal billing mill has been sentenced to federal prison for a years-long Medicare fraud scheme. Loren Wessel, 55, admitted to fabricating patient records and billing for complex treatments he never performed, stealing hundreds of thousands from the federal health program.
On May 17, 2019, Wessel was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James A. Soto after pleading guilty to Health Care Fraud. Between 2008 and June 2016, Wessel exploited his role as a licensed podiatrist, routinely treating patients at assisted living facilities across Tucson. But behind closed doors, he was padding claims with phantom procedures far beyond the routine care he actually delivered.
Investigators say Wessel billed Medicare for advanced medical services that never happened. To cover his tracks, he falsified patient files, inventing conditions and documenting treatments that existed only on paper. The scam allowed him to cash in on higher reimbursement rates, bleeding the system dry for nearly a decade.
Wessel will serve 24 months behind bars and must pay $965,985 in restitution to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The steep financial penalty reflects the massive scale of the fraud, one of the most brazen health care rip-offs uncovered in southern Arizona in recent years.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Federal agents combed through billing records, medical files, and witness statements to dismantle Wessel’s facade of legitimacy.
Prosecution was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tucson. Case number CR-17-00978-TUC-JAS (LCK). Release number 2019-065_Wessel. # # #
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Key Facts
- State: Arizona
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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