Niranjan Mittal, MD, a New York City-based cardiologist, was sentenced to 37 months in prison for his role in a healthcare fraud and bribery scheme.
Since at least 2016, Dr. Mittal operated a medical clinic in New York City. To bring in new patients, he paid rental payments to other providers for purported leases for office space, according to an Aug. 21 news release from the Justice Department.
Dr. Mittal made the lease payments to induce the other providers to refer patients to his practice. Once patients went to Dr. Mittal’s clinic, they underwent a series of tests that were often not based on the patient’s needs, the Justice Department said.
Between 2016 and 2023, insurers paid more than $40 million to Dr. Mittal’s practice. In addition to the prison sentence, Dr. Mittal was ordered to forfeit the proceeds traceable to the scheme, the release said.
