Medicare fraudster Manishkumar Patel, a Pelham Manor resident, has pleaded guilty to health care fraud, wire fraud, and violating the anti-kickback statute. Over three years, from 2019 to 2022, Patel and a partner obtained prescription details from call centers, set up telemedicine appointments with Medicare patients and had physicians approve fake prescriptions without ever examining the individuals in question. The medications were allegedly distributed to Medicare providers resulting in losses totaling nearly $50 million.
As part of his guilty plea, Patel was instructed to repay over $48 million to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and surrender more than $6 million. If convicted on all charges, he could face a maximum prison sentence of five years for each offense.