In a staggering betrayal of trust, two Dallas pain doctors have confessed to a $45 million insurance scam, playing pretend with patients' health. Drs. Desi Barroga and Deno Barroga, 51-year-old twins, threw away their medical oaths, begging guilty Tuesday to a single count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, the U.S. Attorney’s office confirmed.

According to officials, the Barroga brothers conjured up a scheme stretching from falsified corticosteroid injections to compelling patients into needless monthly visits. These visits not only continued the dispensing of potent Schedule II narcotics but padded the doctors' pockets by billing for non-existent services. The bunko was so deep that they reported to insurers performing up to 80 fake injections per patient, per visit, stated the U.S. Department of Justice.

A closer look at the court documents unveils the twins' abhorrent practices – medical records were a sham, cloned from one patient to another, with patients coached into corroborating the lies. The farce allowed them to siphon at least $9 million from health insurers Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, and United Healthcare, the plea papers revealed.

In a calculated surrender, the Barrogas agreed to relinquish their DEA registrations immediately and plan to forfeit their medical licenses before their sentencing. They await the possibility of a decade each in federal prison, their futures are as grim as the trust they violated. The deceit ran deep enough to bank them at least $9 million, revealed by the court during the guilty plea.

The gravity of the case is reflected in the combined efforts of multiple agencies, including the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General and the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas Field Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Renee Hunter is prosecuting the con that put patient care on the back burner while lining the Barrogas' pockets with dishonest gains.