December 10, 2019

Dr. Paul J. Mathieu and occupational therapist Lina Zhitnik have been sentenced to, respectively, 4 years and 1.2 years in prison, for their roles in a $30 million scheme to defraud Medicare and New York’s Medicaid program.  Mathieu falsely posed as the owner of three medical clinics, which were actually owned by Aleksandr Burman, and Mathieu and Zhitnik falsely claimed to have treated thousands of patients at those clinics.  Over six years, Mathieu prepared or assisted in the preparation of false and fraudulent medical charts, issued referrals for expensive and unnecessary additional testing by providers also participating in the scheme, and wrote prescriptions for unnecessary medical supplies that were filled by a company also owned by Burman.  Another doctor participating in Burman’s scheme, Ewald J. Antoine, was previously sentenced.  USAO SDNY

Tagged in: Criminal Proceedings, Healthcare Fraud, Lack of Medical Necessity, Medical Billing Fraud, Provider Fraud,