Crime & Safety

Exton Man Filed $4.1M In Fraudulent Medicare Claims: Feds

A 58-year-old Exton man and a doctor based in Indiana are accused of conspiring to commit healthcare fraud, federal authorities said.

EXTON, PA – An Exton man has been charged by indictment for allegedly conspiring to commit healthcare fraud with a doctor from Indianapolis, Indiana, United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen announced recently.

John Montgomery, 58, of Exton, was indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and conspiracy to solicit and pay kickbacks, Lappen's office announced. Additionally, Alfredo Lopez, M.D., 47, of Indianapolis, Indiana was hit with the same charges, officials said.

If convicted, Montgomery and Lopez face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison; three years of supervision after release from prison; $500,000 in fines; and a special assessment of $200, Lappen's office said.

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Montgomery and Lopez are accused of causing at least a $679,214 loss to Medicare through their alleged actions, Lappen's Office said.

According to the indictment, the pair contracted with primary care physicians, chiropractors, and podiatrists across the United States to provide nerve conduction testing in the provider’s office.

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They are accused of offering various healthcare providers financial incentives to order nerve conduction tests for patients in their practice, which the Montgomery and Lopez provided and for which they obtained payments from Medicare, the indictment alleges.

According to the indictment, from January 2006 through January 2013, the pair caused the submission of least approximately $4.1 million of fraudulent claims to Medicare for nerve conduction tests that did not meet Medicare’s coverage criteria and established standards of care for such testing.

The case was investigated by Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys M. Beth Leahy and Jennifer B. Jordan.

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