Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Investigation part of national health care fraud action that resulted in 193 defendants charged and more than $2.75 billion in false claims
MISSOULA — A Whitefish doctor who admitted defrauding Medicare and other federal government health programs through a telemedicine conspiracy that resulted in more than $31 million in false billing was sentenced today to six months in prison, to be followed by six months of home confinement, fined $100,000 and ordered to pay $780,509 restitution, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
The defendant, Ronald David Dean, 64, pleaded guilty in July to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The case was part of the Justice Department’s 2024 National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action.
U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided. The court also ordered Dean to be placed on one year of supervised release after his confinement.
“Submitting false claims for medical services that were not provided will not be tolerated,” said Special Agent in Charge Dimitriana Nikolov with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Northwest Field Office. “Today’s sentencing is a testament to VA OIG’s dedication to investigating those who commit fraud and seek to benefit improperly from programs that are meant for deserving veterans.”
“Our office will continue to work alongside other federal agencies investigating crimes like this. The efforts of the VA-OIG, HHS-OIG and RRB-OIG agents, and the supporting personnel, combatted this fraudulent activity. We have an obligation to protect federal funds, and the abuse of our Medicare system will not be tolerated,” said Railroad Retirement Board Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Douglas Williams.
“Every American pays for healthcare fraud, potentially through higher health insurance premiums, exposure to unnecessary medical procedures, and increased taxes” said Special Agent in Charge Shohini Sinha of the Salt Lake City FBI. “Ronald Dean put profit before patients. This case, along with the coordinated nationwide effort, reaffirms the FBI’s commitment to investigating fraud, protecting patients, and maintaining the integrity of government funded programs.”
The government alleged in court documents that Dean, a licensed physician, was paid by a telemedicine company to sign orders for durable medical equipment that patients did not need. Dean then fraudulently charged Medicare, CHAMPVA and the Railroad Retirement Board programs for telemedicine office visits that did not occur. The telemedicine company also used Dean’s information to prescribe unneeded and unnecessary covid tests to patients. The conspiracy ran from about January 2022 until July 2023. The total amount billed to Medicare, the VA and the Railroad Retirement Board based on orders Dean signed was $31,432,001, and the total amount paid from those programs was $13,785,724.
As part of the scheme, Dean relied on information provided by people he did not know, with an unknown amount of training or experience, to prescribe braces for beneficiaries he did not see or evaluate himself. Dean frequently did not even talk to the beneficiaries, and when he did it was merely to tell them the braces were approved. Dean had no idea if those people who received braces actually needed them. With the covid tests, Dean provided blanket authorization for the telemedicine company to send out tests to anyone and bill Medicare for as many covid tests as the company desired.
The case was part of a strategically coordinated, two-week nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 193 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes that resulted in the submission of over $2.75 billion in alleged false billings. The defendants allegedly defrauded programs entrusted for the care of the elderly and disabled to line their own pockets, and the Government, in connection with the enforcement action, seized over $231 million in cash, luxury vehicles, gold, and other assets.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana worked with the Department’s Criminal Division and the following law enforcement organizations to investigate and prosecute the case filed during the enforcement period: the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG), Railroad Retirement Board Office of Inspector General and FBI.
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