A doctor from the Detroit area led a conspiracy to charge Medicare and private insurance for unneeded painkiller injections and write prescriptions for millions of pills. He was sentenced to nearly 17 years in prison and ordered to pay $30 million on Monday.
According to the prosecution, one of the most heinous healthcare frauds in American history, Frank Patino’s deception went on for years.
“Over the course of approximately five years, Patino steadily increased the potency of the opioids he prescribed, ultimately making him the top prescriber of 30 milligram oxycodone within the state of Michigan,” Justice Department attorney Steven Scott said in a court filing.
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According to Scott, as a result, Patino and other doctors made a lot of money while their patients developed opioid addictions or intensified them.
Judge Denise Page Hood of the U.S. District Court ruled that Medicare and other insurers must pay $30 million in compensation.
Patino declared his innocence in court on Monday. Martin Crandall, Patino’s new counsel, is asking for a second trial because he believes Patino’s trial lawyer mishandled his defense.
According to Crandall, Patino has toured the globe to treat the needy.
“It just doesn’t fit for him to be involved in philanthropy for all these years and to be committing these crimes,” Crandall said.