DN: Jury convicts alligator-wrestling doctor from Woodhaven in $120M fraud case

[China]

Jury convicts alligator-wrestling doctor from Woodhaven in $120M fraud case

 

An alligator-wrestling surgeon from Woodhaven was convicted following a jury trial and after being accused of masterminding a more than $100 million health care fraud scheme — one of the largest in U.S. history.

 

 

Dr. Frank Patino, 66, prescribed excessive amounts of opioids to patients at his Livonia clinic, subjected clients to unnecessary and painful spinal injections that yielded lucrative payments for his medical practice. Prosecutors also accused him of laundering money through a vanity diet program and spending money sponsoring mixed martial arts fighters.

 

Jurors convicted Patino of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud; two counts of health care fraud; one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay and receive health care kickbacks; one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of money laundering. Deliberations lasted about eight hours following a trial spread over nine days that was delayed due to a COVID-19 scare.

 

 

Prosecutors and Patino's legal team waged a prolonged fight over evidence amassed during a years-long investigation, including testimony from witnesses that Patino allegedly traded drugs for sex with a stripper, hid profits from the illegal scheme and kept $50,000 in cash under a mattress. Other allegations included one claim Patino ripped out his sick, 80-pound ex-wife's feeding tube.

 

From 2016 to 2017, Patino wrote prescriptions for more than 2.2 million pills, including fentanyl, oxycodone and oxymorphone. Some of the medically unnecessary drugs ended up being resold on the street, according to the indictment.

 

With kickbacks and bribes from co-conspirators, the surgeon is accused of sponsoring mixed martial arts fighters, including hall of fame Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Urijah Faber.

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

 

Edited September 23, 2021 by China

[LadySkinsFan]

Does he get to go to prison?