Skip to main content
Press Release

Local Physician Pleads Guilty to Health Care Fraud

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois

ROCKFORD — A suspended physician pleaded guilty today in federal court to charges of health care fraud.  CHARLES S. DEHANN, 61, of Belvidere, Ill., pleaded guilty before Judge Frederick J. Kapala to two counts of health care fraud in a scheme to defraud Medicare that included overbilling and billing Medicare for treatment of patients that were already deceased.

According to the written plea agreement, DeHaan, during the course of the scheme, was a physician licensed in Illinois, who between January 2009 and January 24, 2014, primarily billed Medicare for in-home patient visits and certifications for patients he deemed homebound.  DeHaan admitted in the plea agreement that he knew Medicare authorized payment for home visits and physician services only if those services were actually provided and were medically necessary because of disease, infirmity, or impairment.  The plea agreement further states that DeHaan billed Medicare for medical services purportedly provided to patients when he knew he did not provide any reimbursable medical service.  This included DeHaan billing Medicare at the highest reimbursement levels for routine, non-complex visits with new and established patients even though DeHaan knew the visit did not qualify for the highest levels of reimbursement, and billing Medicare for patients DeHaan never actually treated.  According to the plea agreement, some of the patients DeHaan billed at the highest reimbursement levels but did not actually see were deceased on the date of the alleged visit.

On each count DeHaan faces a maximum potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a term of supervised release of up to 3 years following imprisonment, and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gross gain or gross loss resulting from that offense, whichever is greater, as well as full restitution.  Sentencing for DeHaan is scheduled for Sept. 21, 2016, at 9:30 a.m. 

The guilty plea was announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Michael Anderson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Lamont Pugh, III, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.  The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation assisted in the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott R. Paccagnini and Talia Bucci.

Plea Agreement

Updated May 20, 2016

Topic
Health Care Fraud