Bradley Partner Jason Mehta Quoted in Bloomberg Law on Differences in Health-Fraud Sentencing

Bradley attorney Jason Mehta was quoted in Bloomberg Law on the differences between two recent health-fraud sentences in Houston. A Houston doctor and a medical clinic owner face prison sentences of 25 and 30 years and must repay over $20 million for selling false patient referrals to home-health agencies. Meanwhile, another Houston doctor involved in a similar, smaller scheme was sentenced to only three years in prison.

Mehta explained that the long prison sentences likely resulted from the large dollar amount of fraudulent claims, the defendants’ decision to take the case to trial, and alleged past behavior.

The doctors, who were sentenced to 25 and 30 years behind bars, had both faced the Justice Department for similar schemes in the past.

At this stage in the process, these sort of factors weigh heavily in significantly lengthening a sentence, Mehta explained.

“This is a drastic result,” he said. The case is a reminder that healthcare providers must be cautious of financial relationships with other entities, he added.

The complete article, “Tale of Two Health-Fraud Sentences: 25 vs. 3 Years,” was published by Bloomberg Law on January 30, 2019.