A McAllen, Texas-based physician and a clinic employee have been sentenced for their roles in a kickback scheme that resulted in more than $3.1 million in Medicare losses, according to a Jan. 13 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
What happened?
- From January 2016 through December 2017, Osama Nahas, MD, and Isabel Pruneda traveled to adult day care centers across the Rio Grande Valley, ordering unnecessary lab tests and prescriptions for vulnerable patients in exchange for kickbacks.
- Ms. Pruneda forged signatures and repackaged medications to encourage patient compliance. Prosecutors said both individuals paid and received bribes disguised as rent to facilitate access and referrals.
- Dr. Nahas, owner and physician at Edinburg, Texas-based Crosspoint Medical Clinic, received a 120-month federal prison sentence. Ms. Pruneda, a medical assistant at the clinic, was sentenced to 97 months. Both were ordered to serve three years of supervised release and pay over $3.1 million in restitution to Medicare.
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