A Florida chiropractor and surgeon who were convicted in a $31 million scheme to defraud Medicare have been sentenced to prison.
The pair were found guilty in January of billing Medicare for medically unnecessary medical equipment, according to an April 20 Justice Department news release.
Dean Zusmer, 54, a chiropractor and owner of one of four durable medical equipment companies involved in the scheme, was sentenced to eight years and one month in prison and ordered to pay more than $1.4 million in restitution, according to the release.
Lawrence Alexander, MD, 45, an orthopedic surgeon who owned another company involved in the scheme, was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison, according to the release. Restitution will be determined at a later hearing.
Jeremy Waxman, another co-conspirator, was previously sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in the scheme.
Mr. Zusmer and his co-conspirators, including Mr. Waxman, paid kickbacks to marketers for patient referrals and signed physicians' orders for unnecessary braces. Dr. Alexander concealed his role in the scheme by putting his company in the name of a family member, according to the release.