A New York man has been arrested for allegedly orchestrating a fraud scheme in which he purchased physician orders for medically unnecessary orthotic braces and submitted claims to Medicare.
Robert Lake, a prosthetist and orthotist, was indicted on Oct. 18 for his role in the scheme, according to a Feb. 3 news release from the Justice Department. Between 2017 and July 2019, while operating his durable medical equipment supply companies, Triseto and Ortho Works, Mr. Lake allegedly purchased fraudulent physician orders and used them to bill Medicare.
After Medicare revoked Triseto’s enrollment in July 2019, Mr. Lake allegedly shifted to selling the fraudulent physician orders through a marketing company in exchange for kickbacks. Prosecutors say the orders were medically unnecessary and often manipulated at his direction.
In total, Mr. Lake and a co-conspirator submitted more than $17 million in fraudulent DME claims to Medicare, receiving over $8 million in reimbursements.