Troy Man Pleads Guilty To Health Care Fraud

ALBANY, NEW YORK – John VonFricken, age 50, of Troy, New York, pled guilty today to obtaining false receipts for orthodontic services and submitting them to his union’s health care plan, announced United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian.

VonFricken was charged with health care fraud for obtaining $54,600 in cash reimbursements from the Health and Welfare Plan of the Plumbers and Steamfitters, Local Union Number 7.  Between July 2008 and February 2015, VonFricken submitted 18 fake receipts for orthodontic work he did not receive.

VonFricken’s sentencing is scheduled for June 3, 2016 before United States District Court Judge Mae A. D’Agostino.  The charges carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. 

This case was investigated by the United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Solomon B. Shinerock.