Texas physician sentenced for $118M healthcare fraud scheme

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A physician in Mission, Texas, was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for carrying out a healthcare fraud scheme involving more than $118 million in false claims. 

Jorge Zamora-Quezada, MD, falsely diagnosed his patients with rheumatoid arthritis, ordering unnecessary tests and treatments to defraud Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE and Blue Cross Blue Shield, according to a May 21 news release from the Justice Department. 

The unnecessary treatments testing, included a variety of injections, infusions, X-rays, MRIs and other procedures.

In addition to the sentence, Dr. Zamora-Quezada was ordered to forfeit more than $28 million.

Dr. Zamora-Quezada was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, seven counts of healthcare fraud and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, the release said.

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