NY Doctor Convicted in Medicare and Insurance Fraud Scheme

A Brooklyn surgeon has been convicted for his role in a fraud scheme that billed Medicare and numerous private insurance companies for what we’ve seen countless times:  surgeries and other complex medical procedures that were never performed, the Department of Justice, FBI and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today.

According to 7^th Space Interactive, on June 13^th, when his two-week trial in federal court came to an end, a jury found Boris Sachakov, M.D., 43, guilty on six counts –one of health care fraud and five of health care false statements.

The trial evidence showed that from January 2008 to January 2010, Sachakov, who owned and operated a clinic called Colon and Rectal Care of New York P.C., defrauded Medicare and private insurance companies by billing for surgeries and medical services that he never provided.

Based on testimony from the trial, we know that several private insurance companies began investigating Sachakov after they received complaints from patients stating that Sachakov had submitted claims for surgeries that he never performed.

During the trial, 11 of Dr Sachakov’s patients testified that they had not received the things that Sachakov billed their insurance companies for.  The evidence presented at trial showed that the medical records for these patients, including letters to the patient’s referring doctors, did not support the extensive billings he submitted.

After Dr Sachakov was confronted by two insurance companies about complaints of billings for surgeries that did not happen, the evidence at trial showed that Dr Sachakov sent letters to his patients, asking them to falsely certify in writing that they had received the phony surgeries.

The indictment on Sachakov alleged that he submitted and caused the submission of over $22.6 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare and private insurance companies. It showed that he also received over $9 million on those claims.

At his sentencing, scheduled for September 24^th, Sachakov will face a maximum prison sentence of 35 years, along with an up to $18 million fine.