San Diego
A Linda Vista physician pleaded guilty Wednesday to grand theft stemming from false claims he submitted to the state’s Medi-Cal program.
Dr. Uong Van Vu, 53, admitted the felony offense before San Diego Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Zumwalt, who set sentencing for July 10.
Vu had been charged with bilking the state agency of $265,000 in billings for fictitious patients and treatments for illnesses that his real patients did not have, according to the California attorney general’s office.
Vu’s practice consists mostly of Vietnamese and Laotian patients in the Linda Vista area, his attorney, Peter Hughes, said. Vu was arrested on Feb. 15, 1984, and his trial had been set for next week.
Vu could face three years in state prison and be forced to repay the state agency for the overcharges. He remains free on $30,000 bail.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
