Press Release
Minnetonka Personal Injury Attorney Pleads Guilty To Health Care Fraud Conspiracy
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota
United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the guilty plea of WILLIAM KYLE SUTOR III, 37, to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. SUTOR, who was charged by felony Information on December 30, 2019, entered his plea today before Judge Nancy E. Brasel in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota. SUTOR will be sentenced at a later date.
United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald stated, “This defendant, a personal injury attorney, participated in an all too common healthcare fraud scheme involving a network of chiropractors and runners. The #1 goal of the scheme was to steal money from insurance providers, resulting in higher premiums for Minnesota consumers. This is unacceptable. I applaud the diligent investigators and prosecutor who continue to pursue these cases.”
“The conduct perpetrated by Mr. Sutor makes it harder for the legitimate lawyers and health care providers to help Minnesotans who really are injured,” said Minnesota Department of Commerce Commissioner Steve Kelley. “The agents at the Minnesota Commerce Fraud Bureau will continue to investigate individuals who think they are above the law.”
“As demand for health benefits goes up, so do the losses from health care fraud like this,” said FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge, Jill Sanborn. “Our special agents in partnership with Minnesota Commerce Fraud Bureau used every tool we have to dissect this scheme and stop this defendant before he could do more damage,” Sanborn said.
According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, between 2015 and 2016, SUTOR, a licensed personal injury attorney, engaged in a scheme to defraud providers of automobile insurance policies. SUTOR began working with chiropractors and patient recruiters, referred to as “runners.” As part of the scheme, the chiropractor would pay the runner a fee, typically between $1,000 and $1,500, for every individual that the runner brought to the chiropractor’s clinic to become a patient. In addition, SUTOR would pay the runner a fee, typically $300, for every individual that became a client of SUTOR’s. SUTOR, the chiropractors, and the runners took steps to conceal their scheme, including making kickback payments in cash or by checks written out to appear that they were payments for legitimate legal services.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Minnesota Commerce Fraud Bureau and the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. MacLaughlin is prosecuting the case.
Defendant Information:
WILLIAM KYLE SUTOR III, 37
Minnetonka, Minn.
Convicted:
- Conspiracy to commit health care fraud, 1 count
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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600
Updated February 4, 2020
Topic
Health Care Fraud
Component