PEORIA, Ariz. — A federal grand jury has indicted a Peoria doctor who's been accused of fraudulently billing Medicare for services that weren't necessary nor legitimate.
A 50-count indictment was filed this week against Dr. Linh Cao Nguyen, a traveling doctor who operates a mobile medical practice in Tucson and Phoenix, that alleges he falsified records to conceal an ongoing health care fraud scheme.
Nguyen, 48, would bill Medicare for several medical services at a time, but investigators later learned either no legitimate services were done or only a simple procedure -- like administering a COVID-19 vaccine -- was completed, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Doctors regularly seek to get reimbursements by filing bills with Medicare, the federal government's health insurance program for older people and people with certain disabilities, but the system has often been taken advantage of by frauds.
Prosecutors additionally accuse Nguyen of billing services at a much higher complexity level than what was warranted.
The indictment alleges the scheme took place for over a decade. During this timeframe, Nguyen allegedly netted about $33 million in Medicare funds.
Nguyen's indictment charges him with fraud, making false statements relating to health care matters, and aggravated identity theft.
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