Federal prosecutors unsealed charges this week against nine new defendants for their alleged roles in a kickback scheme that resulted in the submission of more than $950 million in fraudulent claims, mostly to California's worker compensation system, according to the Department of Justice.
The nine defendants were charged in relation to the government's investigation into kickbacks physicians received for patient referrals for spinal surgeries performed at Pacific Hospital in Long Beach, Calif. They are among the dozens of physicians and other medical professionals allegedly involved in the scheme.
Of the nine defendants recently charged, three are orthopedic surgeons. Daniel Capen, MD, agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy and illegal kickback charges. He allegedly accounted for about $142 million of Pacific Hospital's claims to insurers. Timothy Hunt, MD, who allegedly referred spinal surgery patients to Dr. Capen and other physicians, agreed to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge involving his receipt of illegal kickbacks. Tiffany Rogers, MD, allegedly received illegal kickbacks to refer patients for spinal surgeries to Pacific Hospital.
The other defendants recently charged in the scheme include the former CFO of Pacific Hospital's physician management arm, George Hammer. He agreed to plead guilty to tax charges based on the fraudulent classification of illegal kickbacks in hospital-related corporate tax filings. Two chiropractors as well as two companies and an individual associated with one of the chiropractors were also charged for their alleged involvement in the scheme, according to the DOJ.
Michael Drobot, former owner and CEO of Pacific Hospital, ran the 15-year-long kickback scheme. He was sentenced to more than five years in prison in January.
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