A Melville podiatrist was sentenced to a year and a day in prison for his role in a health care fraud scheme, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District said.
Hal Abrahamson, who has offices in Plainview and Rego Park, Queens, was also ordered to pay restitution of $869,651, fined $50,000 and told to forfeit $177,000.
Abrahamson pleaded guilty to health care fraud last year in connection with the operation of his podiatry practice.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Scott J. Lampert, Special Agent-in-Charge, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, New York Region (HHS-OIG), announced the sentence.
“Greed dictated this doctor’s billing practices,” Donoghue said. “The defendant stole a million dollars from Medicare and private insurance companies but has been brought to justice.”
He was sentenced in federal court in Central Islip.
According to court documents and as established at the plea proceeding, Abrahamson’s health care fraud scheme was ongoing from January 2013 until January 2017. Abrahamson used several fraudulent billing techniques over the years, including: (i) billing for skin grafts and wound packing services never performed, (ii) billing for work purportedly done by another podiatrist whose reimbursement rate was higher, but which was in fact done by Abrahamson, or not at all, and (iii) billing for more expensive procedures than those actually performed.