On Tuesday, October 17, 2017, it was announced that a doctor with offices in Paterson, Passaic, and Elizabeth, New Jersey had admitted to defrauding Medicare and private insurance companies out of $3 million dollars. 60-year-old Anthony J. Enrico of North Haledon, New Jersey pleaded guilty to an information charging him with one count of health care fraud. The defendant admitted to billing for more than 150,000 physical therapy sessions that were carried out by unlicensed and unqualified personnel.
Documents and statements used in court show that Enrico billed Medicare and health insurance providers for physical therapy services between January 2007 and May 2016. In order to be eligible for reimbursement, these services must be performed by individuals with the proper training and certifications. Enrico confessed that the services were performed at his direction by unqualified individuals on at least 150,000 occasions.
In total, this resulted in Enrico fraudulently obtaining roughly $3 million from private insurers and Medicare. At the time of his sentencing, Enrico will face a maximum penalty of ten years in prison. He has also agreed to pay restitution of $3 million. Anthony J. Enrico is scheduled to be sentenced on January 25, 2018.
