Former Veterans Affairs Psychiatrist Sentenced To 18 Months’ Imprisonment For Medicare Fraud

BROOKLYN, NY – Dr. Mikhail L. Presman, a licensed psychiatrist employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), was sentenced today by Judge I. Leo Glasser in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, New York, to 18 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release for Medicare fraud. As part of the sentence, Judge Glasser ordered Presman to pay restitution to Medicare and forfeit $1.2 million.

The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Loretta E. Lynch of the Eastern District of New York, Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Special Agent-in-Charge Thomas O’Donnell of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).

According to court documents, from January 1, 2006 through May 10, 2013, Dr. Presman submitted approximately $4 million in Medicare claims for home treatment of Medicare beneficiaries notwithstanding his full-time, salaried position as a psychiatrist at the VA hospital in Brooklyn. Contrary to his representations, Dr. Presman did not provide any treatment to a substantial number of the beneficiaries he claimed to have treated. For example, Dr. Presman submitted claims to Medicare for home medical visits at locations within New York City even though he was physically located in China at the time of these purported home visits. Additionally, Dr. Presman submitted claims to Medicare for 55 home medical visits to beneficiaries who were hospitalized on the date of the purported visits.

The case was investigated by the HHS-OIG, with assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, and brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patricia E. Notopoulos and Department of Justice Trial Attorney Bryan D. Fields.

Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged more than 1,500 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $5 billion. In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, is taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), go to: www.stopmedicarefraud.gov.