NEWARK, NJ— A doctor along with 25 other physicians admitted to accepting millions of dollars in bribes in exchange for sending patients blood samples to Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services LLC, officials
The “elaborate” and long-running scheme was operated by Biodiagnostic’s president and numerous associates, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman stated.
The latest doctor to plead guilty is Brett Halper, 41, of Glen Head, New York. He plead guilty Thursday before U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler in Newark federal court to one count of accepting bribes.
Halper, who has a practice in Rockville Centre, New York, is facing up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,00, officials said. He
will be sentenced in June.
Including Halper, 38 people—26 of them doctors—have pleaded guilty in connection with the bribery scheme.
Organizers admitted the scheme involved millions of dollars in bribes and resulted in more than $100 million in payments to Biodiagnostic from Medicare and various private insurance companies.
The investigation has so far recovered more than $10.5 million to date through forfeiture, according to authorities.
Court documents in this case indicated the following information:
Halper admitted that from January 2011 through April 2013, he accepted bribes in return for referring patient blood specimens to Biodiagnostic and was often paid in excess of $5,000 per month.
Halper’s referrals generated approximately $2,9 million in lab business for Biodiagnostic.