WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A politically prominent Florida eye doctor could get more than 30 years in prison for stealing $100 million in one of history’s largest Medicare frauds.
FILE – In this April 28, 2017 file photo, Dr. Salomon Melgen arrives at the federal courthouse in West Palm Beach, Fla. The politically prominent Florida eye doctor could get 30 years in prison or more for stealing $100 million in one of history’s largest Medicare frauds. A sentencing hearing for Dr. Melgen resumes Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2018, after a four-week hiatus. (Lannis Water/Palm Beach Post via AP, File)
A sentencing hearing for Dr. Salomon Melgen resumes Wednesday after a four-week hiatus. Melgen was convicted last April of 67 crimes including health care fraud, submitting false claims and falsifying records.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra could give the 63-year-old Melgen a life sentence. Prosecutors are asking for 30 years. Melgen’s attorneys want no more than 10.
Prosecutors said Melgen was the nation’s highest-paid Medicare provider for five straight years. Melgen convinced many elderly patients to undergo often painful tests and treatments they didn’t need for diseases they didn’t have.
In a separate case, Melgen is accused of bribing New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez.
By TERRY SPENCER
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