LOS ANGELES : Doctor Gets 41 Months in Medical Billing Scam
A Soviet-trained doctor who, with his brother, ran what is believed to be the largest health care scam in U.S. history, was sentenced to 41 months in prison, it was announced Thursday.
David Smushkevich, who was not licensed to practice medicine in this country, pleaded guilty to three counts of mail fraud in February, 1993.
The naturalized U.S. citizen, who was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Terry Hatter Jr., also was ordered to pay $41 million in restitution and was fined $750,000, said U.S. attorney’s office spokeswoman Carole Levitsky.
Smushkevich and his older brother, Michael, ran a scam that generated nearly $1 billion in fraudulent billings of more than 800 government health programs, insurance companies and employee benefit plans nationwide.
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.
