Dr. Panezai, the owner and operator of a heart and medical center, ran a scheme that caused more than $1.9 million in insurance reimbursements for false claims, according to a Nov. 12 news release from the Justice Department.
The scheme consisted of Dr. Panezai submitting false claims to at least six health insurance benefit programs for visits that either did not take place at all or did not occur for the length of time he claimed.
In one example, Dr. Panezai submitted claims for visits lasting about 28 hours for one day worth of visits.
In addition to the prison sentence, Dr. Panezai was sentenced to three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $1.95 million in restitution.
Dr. Panezai had his license revoked following the conviction.
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