In a recent crackdown on healthcare fraud, four individuals have pleaded guilty to their roles in a kickback scheme involving toxicology lab tests. They could face up to five years in federal prison, hefty fines, and may have to pay back swindled funds.
The accused include Mark Rubin, Renee Field, Kelly Nelson, and Carlos Hornedo, each admitting to their involvement in the ploy designed to illegally enrich themselves at the expense of federal healthcare programs. Rubin, a pain management doctor, and Hornedo, a medical doctor, were involved in separate, yet interconnected schemes to improperly receive kickbacks for sending tests to specific labs, according to the Department of Justice.
Hornedo specifically agreed to refer a significant number of his toxicology orders to Unified Laboratory Services, LLC, and Spectrum Diagnostic Laboratory, LLC, resulting in over $4.1 million in billings to federal health care programs. In exchange, he pocketed approximately $566,000 from various underhanded payments and ownership shares.
The cases unfold a grim narrative of greed, where medical professionals seemingly utilized their respected positions to systematically defraud the system. As per the plea documents, Dr. Rubin was complicit in a similar setup, receiving over $330,000 in kickbacks from RK, a company that received more than $481,000 from Medicare and other federal healthcare programs for tests he ordered. Both doctors were allegedly paid for advisory services they did not adequately provide, a guise to even further line their pockets.
Field and Nelson, who held positions at RK Clinical Solutions, also admitted to their part in the fraudulent activities, performing administrative dances designed to disguise the illicit flow of money as legitimate business practices.
The case was a joint investigation effort involving the FBI, the DCIS, and Veterans Affairs’ Office of Inspector General, with Assistant U.S. Attorney P.J. Meitl at the helm of the prosecution. The culmination of the guilty pleas sends a strong message against the exploitation of healthcare programs intended for the welfare of the people.
