Miami physician Mark Zager, MD, was sentenced to two years in prison for healthcare and wire fraud, the Justice Department said March 24.
Dr. Zager pleaded guilty on June 1 to the charges, which involved submitting false and fraudulent claims to CMS and a financial services company that offered loans to patients for out-of-pocket medical expenses, the department said.
Dr. Zager conspired with Dennis Nobbe, the now-deceased chiropractor and owner of Hialeah, Fla.-based Dynamic Medical Services, to commit the fraud. He opened a merchant account in his own name, the Justice Department said, and then allowed Mr. Nobbe to use the account in exchange for paying kickbacks and bribes.
Mr. Nobbe allegedly applied for loans on patients' behalf for future services that were never provided, the department said. Between November 2019 and July 2020, the two men submitted more than $193,000 in fraudulent loan applications to a financial services company.
Dr. Zager also allowed Mr. Nobbe to submit $19,000 in fraudulent claims to CMS through his National Provider Number in exchange for kickbacks and bribes, the department said.