Wednesday, March 16, 2005

D.A. BROWN: MEDICAL DOCTOR CHARGED IN $50,000 INSURANCE FRAUD; ACCUSED OF CHEATING INSURANCE CARRIERS BY FILING FALSE CLAIMS SEEKING REIMBURSEMENT FOR PURPORTED MEDICAL TREATMENT OF AUTO ACCIDENT VICTIMS AT QUEENS CLINICS

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today that a medical doctor has been charged with insurance fraud and related offenses and accused of attempting to steal over $50,000 from six insurance companies by filing false claims seeking reimbursement for purported medical treatment of 17 automobile accident victims at three clinics in Jackson Heights, Forest Hills and Ozone Park.

According to the District Attorney, the defendant was one of eight physicians charged in a major investigation -- Operation Sideswipe -- announced in in January 2004 of automobile insurance fraud by the New York City Police Department’s Auto Crime Division, the New York State Insurance Department’s Insurance Fraud Bureau and the District Attorney’s Rackets and Organized Crime Bureau. The new charges arose out of that investigation, which is ongoing.

District Attorney Brown said, "The defendant has been charged for a second time with attempting to steal from insurance companies, in this instance over $50,000. The six insurance companies allegedly cheated in the scheme received false claims for reimbursement of medical examinations and treatment involving 17 automobile accident victims that the defendant did not provide. No-fault insurance fraud costs the insurance industry about $23 billion dollars nationwide each year and consumers ultimately pay the bill by way of ever increasing insurance premiums.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Vladimir Kirkorov, 54, of 21 Bennett Place on Staten Island, a physiatrist, who has been charged with Insurance Fraud in the Third and Fourth Degree; Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree; Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree; Scheme to Defraud and Petit Larceny. The defendant faces up to seven years in prison if convicted on these charges.

District Attorney Brown said that it is alleged that the offenses charged in the criminal complaint occurred between March 1, 2001 and March 16, 2005, at three medical clinics –- Lane Medical at 107-40 Queens Boulevard in Forest Hills; Primerica Medical at 97-13 101 Avenue in Ozone Park and Roosevelt Medical at 111-16 Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights.

The District Attorney said that it is further alleged that the six insurance companies received from the defendant 17 separate bills requesting reimbursement of $2,832 and $3,212 for a nerve conduction velocity/needle electromygraphy test and $230 comprehensive medical examination that he claimed to have performed at the various clinics.

The companies allegedly defrauded include American Transit Insurance, Allstate Insurance, Countywide Insurance, Green Bus Lines Insurance, Lumberman’s Insurance and One Beacon Insurance.

According to District Attorney Brown, the defendant was charged last January in a four-count indictment -- as part of Operation Sideswipe -- with Insurance Fraud in the Third Degree, Grand Larceny in the Third degree, Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree and Conspiracy in the Fifth Degree and faces up to seven years in prison if convicted on those charges.

The District Attorney said that the charges in the indictment accuse the defendant of submitting fraudulent and exaggerated medical claims for no-fault insurance reimbursement for unneeded medical tests which were not rendered and with failing to treat an automobile accident victim’s actual sustained injuries.

District Attorney Brown said his office has notified the New York State Education Department Division of Professional Licensing in Albany about the allegations against the physician who, in addition to the criminal charges, faces loss of his license if convicted.

The investigation was conducted by Detective Ronald H. Georg with the assistance of Detective Edwin Driscoll of the District Attorney’s Detective Bureau under the supervision of Chief Lawrence J. Festa and Deputy Chief Al D. Velardi.

Assistant District Attorney Karina R. Hojraj of the District Attorney’s Organized Crime and Rackets Bureau is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Gerard A. Brave, Bureau Chief, Marc P. Resnick, Deputy Bureau Chief, and Peri Alyse Kadanoff, Chief, Auto Crime & Insurance Fraud Unit, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Peter A. Crusco and Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Linda M. Cantoni.

It should be noted that criminal charges Are merely accusations and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.