Linh Nguyen, MD, a physician in Peoria, Ariz., was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for healthcare fraud.
Dr. Nguyen was convicted in a multi-year, multi-entity scheme to defraud multiple healthcare benefit programs by knowingly causing the submission of thousands of false billing claims and creating falsified patient records, according to an Oct. 24 news release from the Justice Department.
The scheme defrauded a number of healthcare insurers, including Medicare, TriCare, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, Blue Cross Blue Shield and UnitedHealthcare.
The scheme caused approximately $3.7 million in losses to insurers over several years.
As part of his sentence, Dr. Nguyen was ordered to pay more than $1.1 million in restitution to private insurance companies. Additionally, he agreed to a separate civil settlement requiring him to pay more than $2.5 million to the federal government.
Dr. Nguyen pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud on March 19, 2024, the release said.