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Detroit Podiatrist Sentenced To Over Two Years In Prison For $1 Million In Alleged Medicare Fraud

On Behalf of | Sep 19, 2018 | Government Fraud

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An alleged scheme to defraud Medicare of $1 million earned a Detroit podiatrist over two years in federal prison last week.

U.S. District Judge Judith E. Levy of the Eastern District of Michigan sentenced Lawrence Young, D.P.M. to 28 months in federal custody after his guilty plea earlier this year on a single count of health care fraud.

Federal investigators say Young submitted false claims to Medicare between early 2010 and the spring of last year for the application of a specific surgical dressing that he knew was never utilized. Young allegedly billed Medicare the dressing, which is routinely used to reduce swelling in the leg or foot, despite the fact that in most cases the patients received a standard, non-medicated dressing instead.

Per investigators, the total fraudulently billed to Medicare over the seven-year period came to over $1 million.

In addition to a term in prison, the 70-year-old doctor will be on supervised release for a year upon his release. He is also ordered to reimburse the federal government $337,907.31 and is required to forfeit an identical amount.

Young’s prosecution is the result of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which is an ongoing partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). Since its beginning eleven years ago, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force has charged almost four thousand defendants nationwide with $14 billion in alleged fraudulent charges to Medicare.

The Law Offices of Bjorn Brunvand have been representing people charged with capital murder, felony drug charges, drunk driving, government fraud, and white-collar crimes for over a quarter century. Contact our office today to discuss your Tampa Bay-area state or federal charges.

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