A surgeon and family practitioner from Columbus, Ohio, has been sentenced to one year in prison after pleading guilty to charges of healthcare fraud and allowing his office manager to treat patients, according to a UPI news report.
A federal prosecutor said between Jan. 2005 and March 2009, Charles C. Njoku, MD, allowed Veronica Scott-Guiler, who does not have a medical degree, to examine and treat patients on Tuesdays and when he was out of town. Additionally, Dr. Njoku admitted to illegally distributing controlled substances by pre-signing prescription pads and allowing Ms. Scott-Guiler to fill out prescriptions before giving them to patients while he was away, according to the report.
In addition to his prison sentence, Dr. Njoku as well as Ms. Scott-Guiler must pay $131,000 in restitution because the pair's fraudulent activity caused false claims to be submitted to Medicaid and Medicare.
Read the news report about Dr. Charles Njoku's sentence.
Read other coverage about Dr. Charles Njoku:
- Ohio Surgeon's Office Manager Avoids 15 Years Imprisonment After Pleading Guilty to Fraud
- Ohio Surgeon Pleads Guilty to Healthcare Fraud Charges, Allowing Office Manager to Treat Patients
A federal prosecutor said between Jan. 2005 and March 2009, Charles C. Njoku, MD, allowed Veronica Scott-Guiler, who does not have a medical degree, to examine and treat patients on Tuesdays and when he was out of town. Additionally, Dr. Njoku admitted to illegally distributing controlled substances by pre-signing prescription pads and allowing Ms. Scott-Guiler to fill out prescriptions before giving them to patients while he was away, according to the report.
In addition to his prison sentence, Dr. Njoku as well as Ms. Scott-Guiler must pay $131,000 in restitution because the pair's fraudulent activity caused false claims to be submitted to Medicaid and Medicare.
Read the news report about Dr. Charles Njoku's sentence.
Read other coverage about Dr. Charles Njoku:
- Ohio Surgeon's Office Manager Avoids 15 Years Imprisonment After Pleading Guilty to Fraud
- Ohio Surgeon Pleads Guilty to Healthcare Fraud Charges, Allowing Office Manager to Treat Patients