KENTUCKY
Anesthesiologist Jaime Guerrero, 48, of Kentuckiana, Kentucky, was sentenced in federal court today to eight years and four months in prison for his role in drug dealing, including the unlawful distribution of the prescription opioid hydrocodone without a legitimate medical purpose, according to authorities.
He also plead guilty to health care fraud, conspiracy and money laundering, officials said.
Guerrero’s plea agreement indicated that he agreed to forfeit his license to practice medicine and real property owned by Guerrero Real Estate Investments LLC.
Also Guerrero agreed to pay $827,000 in victim restitution to nine health care benefit programs, officials said.
Guerrero, formerly a medical physician with offices in Louisville and Jeffersonville, Indiana, pleaded guilty to 31 counts of a 35 count indictment on Jan. 7.
“Doctors take an oath to ‘first, do no harm.’ Dr. Guerrero violated that oath and today’s sentence is a solemn reminder that the cost of health care fraud is not one just paid in money,” said Special Agent in Charge Howard Marshall for the FBI’s Louisville Division. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners are committed to vigorously investigating those who seek to enrich themselves and threaten the public’s safety through fraudulent health care schemes.”
“This doctor was operating as a drug dealer in a white coat,” said Special Agent in Charge Derrick L. Jackson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General in Atlanta. “This sentence should be a wake-up call to physicians across the state: if you’re overprescribing narcotics you are facing a lengthy prison sentence.”
According to the plea agreement, from Nov. 1, 2009, continuing through Jan. 1, 2013, Guerrero conspired with others to distribute drugs to patients, without a legitimate medical purpose and beyond the bounds of professional medical practice.
Beginning on or about Jan. 6, 2010, and continuing through Sept. 16, 2011, Guerrero distributed hydrocodone to patient S.O., without a legitimate medical purpose and beyond the bounds of professional medical practice, which resulted in S.O.’s death on or about Sept. 24, 2011.
Guerrero further pleaded guilty to three counts of health care fraud for fraudulently billing various health care benefit programs and for submitting fraudulent claims for patient health care counseling.
Specifically, on May 26, 2011, June 15, 2011, and June 22, 2011, Guerrero saw more than 100 patients on each of the dates, by himself, and spent approximately three minutes or less with each patient. He then fraudulently billed various health care benefit programs.
Between July 9, 2010, and July 22, 2010, Guerrero travelled outside of the United States and directed staff personnel to provide group counseling sessions for patients in his absence.
The group sessions were then billed as individual counseling sessions and as if Guerrero personally provided the service.
Additionally, between Jan. 1, 2008, and continuing through June 15, 2012, Guerrero fraudulently submitted over 100 claims to various health care benefit programs:
- For office visits at a higher code than the service provided
- For office visits that were not medically necessary or within the course of usual medical practice
- Submitting claims for services that were not sufficiently documented in the patient’s medical record
- Making claims for office visits as though a physician saw the patient, when in fact, a nurse practitioner saw the patient.
Guerrero agreed to pay $827,000 in victim restitution to nine health care benefit programs.
Finally, Guerrero plead guilty to a single money laundering charge for paying the taxes on a building located at 1201 West Wall Street in Jeffersonville with $89,55 in cash derived from drug dealing another other crimes.