A New York physician was charged in an indictment unsealed Thursday in federal court for an alleged $10 million health care fraud scheme, officials stated.
Elemer Raffai allegedly submitted false and fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicare Part D plans.
According to court documents, Raffai, 56, of Rome, between approximately July 2016 and June 2017, allegedly signed prescriptions and order forms via purported telemedicine services for durable medical equipment that were not medically necessary.
Raffai caused these claims to be submitted based solely on a short telephone conversation for beneficiaries he did not physically examine and evaluate and that were induced, in part, by the payments of bribes and kickbacks to Raffai.
The indictment further alleges that Raffai, with others, submitted or caused the submission of approximately $10 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for medical equipment, and Medicare paid more than $4 million on those claims.
Raffai is charged with health care fraud. He was arrested Thursday.
If convicted, Raffai faces up to 10 years in prison. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.