| For Immediate Release
May 7, 2009 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Public Affairs Counsel Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami |
OCDA CHARGES SEVEN IN SECOND SWEEP OF CHIROPRACTORS, ATTORNEYS, AND LAW OFFICE EMPLOYEES FOR INSURANCE OVERBILLING SCHEMES AND ILLEGAL PRACTICE OF LAW
*A new defendant has also been charged for conspiracy and illegal practice of law in the original Operation K-Fraud
SANTA ANA – Seven new defendants, including chiropractors, attorneys, and law office employees have been charged in an undercover sting operation targeting insurance overbilling schemes, the illegal practice of law, and the misuse of attorney-client trust accounts. The Orange County District Attorney’s (OCDA) Gatekeepers Insurance Fraud Team (GIFT) coordinated and conducted undercover operations to identify provider professionals suspected of defrauding insurance companies.
Based on information provided by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the OCDA conducted walk-in investigations of chiropractic clinics and law offices where undercover investigators posed as “patients” claiming to be suffering from soft tissue damage from car accidents. As a result, the OCDA has charged seven defendants in three criminal cases including three chiropractors, two attorneys, and two law office administrative staff members with various charges including insurance fraud, the unauthorized practice of law, and the unlawful receipt of funds.
This is the second Orange County sweep of its kind in 2009. On Feb. 4, 2009, the OCDA announced the arrest of and charges against 12 defendants, including chiropractors, an attorney, and office employees in Operation K-Fraud (Knockout Fraudulent Attorneys and Unscrupulous Doctors), an undercover sting operation targeting illegal patient referral and insurance overbilling schemes. A new 13th defendant was also arrested and charged today for her participation in this case. The statuses of those cases are below.
For their cooperation and assistance, the OCDA would like to thank the National Insurance Crime Bureau, California State Bureau of Automotive Repair, Cypress Police Department, Garden Grove Police Department, Tustin Police Department, Automobile Club of Southern California, Infinity Insurance, Mercury Insurance, Progressive Insurance, and Workmen’s Auto Insurance Company.
Deputy District Attorney Demetra Lewis of the Insurance Fraud Unit is prosecuting these cases.