Owners of Toms River MRI Center Plead Guilty to Bribing Doctor for More Than $30,000 in Referrals

By ANTHONY BELLANO (Patch Staff)

The owners of two South Jersey MRI facilities, including one in Toms River, admitted paying more than $30,000 in cash bribes to a doctor for patient referrals, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced on Thursday.

Norman “Norbert” Brettler, 67, of Cherry Hill, and Lee Getson, 62, of Southampton, pleaded guilty to separate informations charging them each with one count of conspiracy to pay kickbacks.

The two owned Positional Imaging Associates LLC, doing business as Ocean Upright MRI, in Toms River, and Tilton Dynamic Imaging LLC, in Northfield, which performed MRIs.

Both centers were purchased by Galloway-based Atlantic Medical Imaging for an undisclosed price last year, according to The Press of Atlantic City. Atlantic Medical Imaging was not named as a defendant in the case, and purchased the centers in August 2014.

Brettler and Getson admitted to agreeing to pay cash bribes to a doctor in exchange for patient referrals from January 2012 through June 2014, according documents filed in the case and statements made in court.

They paid the doctor more than $30,000 for referrals, resulting in more than $115,000 in Medicare payments to their MRI companies. In certain specific instances, they paid about $2,500.

They each face a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss resulting from the offense.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 29.