Lawyer Convicted in Patient Referral Scam

A Ventura attorney has been convicted of felony conspiracy in an illegal health care referral payment scheme, the Ventura County district attorney’s office announced this week.

Steven Harold Gross, 54, was found by a jury to have conspired with the office manager of a chiropractic firm to pay an undercover agent for patient referrals, which is illegal.

Gross agreed to pay an undercover agent for clients, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Mark Aveis.

“The evidence showed that the manager of the chiropractic office told the undercover agent she would pay for referrals and knew of one or more lawyers who would as well,” Aveis said.

The manager of the office and the chiropractor, Julie and Michael Hemphill, both pleaded guilty to the same charges.

The case was part of “Operation What’s Up, Doc?” which netted half a dozen convictions of legal and health care employees engaged in illegal referral payment schemes.

As part of the operation, authorities set up a bogus storefront business in Thousand Oaks called Oak Tree Medical Marketing.

It closed in December 1994.

Gross’s sentencing is set for March 12 in Ventura County Superior Court. He faces a maximum of three years in prison as well as fines. He could not be reached for comment.