U.S. District Judge Josephine Staton sentenced cosmetic surgeon David Morrow, MD, to 20 years in federal prison for defrauding health insurance companies of tens of millions of dollars, according to Insurance News. He fled after pleading guilty to fraud and his whereabouts are currently unknown.
Here are six things to know:
1. Dr. Morrow, owner of Rancho Mirage, Calif.-based Morrow Institute, pled guilty in March 2016 to filing claims totaling millions of dollars for procedures that he claimed were medical necessary when they were not.
2. In his guilty plea, Dr. Morrow, alongside his wife and TMI, confessed to engaging in a scheme where they told patients their unions or Preferred Provider Organization plans would pay for the uncovered cosmetic procedures and then billed the insurance companies for covered procedures instead of the cosmetic surgery he performed. For example, Dr. Morrow would list a tummy tuck as a hernia repair and collect reimbursement based on a fabricated diagnosis and procedure.
3. Dr. Morrow performed the procedures at an ASC in Coachella Valley, Calif.
4. Court documents showed some patients did not seek the procedures Dr. Morrow performed; they underwent the knife after Dr. Morrow promised to perform procedures they wanted. Dr. Morrow also performed surgery on some patients who did not provide informed consent, which court documents report have led to "ongoing medical problems or disfigurement."
5. In the guilty plea, Dr. Morrow admitted to filing a false tax return in 2008, leaving more than $100,000 unreported. On his 2009 tax return, Dr. Morrow did not report income in excess of $1.5 million.
6. Officials are unaware of Dr. Morrow and his wife's locations at this point in time. Dr. Morrow and his wife did not report to court officials before allegedly fleeing in May 2017. Prosecutors filed a notice with the court in September, saying Dr. Morrow breached his plea agreement by becoming a fugitive.