Criminal Investigative Updates

Anthony Curtis Brewer, of Tallahassee, was indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with theft of government property in the Northern District of Florida. His trial is scheduled for November 4, 2025. The VA OIG investigated this case.

Anthony C. Brewer, of Tallahassee, served as a fiduciary under the VA’s fiduciary program and managed the monetary benefits of an individual who was unable to manage their own benefits. Brewer agreed to use the funds for the care, support, health, welfare, comfort, and desires of the individual. He subsequently misused and stole funds between October 2020 and January 2023. The VA OIG investigated this case. Sentencing is currently set for February 2026.

Dr. Donald Salzberg, of Avon, Connecticut, was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release for receiving kickbacks in exchange for ordering medically unnecessary brain scans. Salzberg was also ordered to pay $1.34 million in restitution to Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurers. In July 2022, Salzberg pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to receive kickbacks. The scheme resulted in fraudulent bills of over $3 million to Medicare and other insurance programs and companies. The VA OIG, the FBI, the IRS Criminal Investigation, the Department of Health and Human Services OIG, the US Postal Inspection Service, and the Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration investigated this case.   

Dr. Kenneth Fishberger, of East Setauket, New York, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. It is alleged that from 2013 through 2019, Fishberger conspired with others, including a principal for a mobile medical diagnostics company that performed transcranial doppler (TCD) scans, and a salesperson for the company, to order hundreds of medically unnecessary TCD scans in exchange for kickbacks. It is further alleged that Fishberger and his co-conspirators used false diagnoses to order the unnecessary brain scans, for which a co-conspirator would submit claims to Medicare and other insurance companies. In exchange, Fishberger was paid cash kickbacks of approximately $100 per test. The scheme resulted in fraudulent bills of approximately $650,000 to the VA. This case was investigated by the VA OIG, HHS OIG, FBI, IRS’s Criminal Investigation Division, Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration, and Postal Inspection Service.

Dr. Vishnudat Seodat, of Mattituck, New York, agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. It is alleged that he conspired with others to order hundreds of medically unnecessary transcranial scans in exchange for kickbacks. Seodat and his co-conspirators used false diagnoses to order the unnecessary brain scans, for which a co-conspirator would submit claims to Medicare and other insurance companies, including private insurance companies, on behalf of the medical diagnostic company for payment. According to the charging documents, the scheme resulted in fraudulent bills of approximately $1 million to Medicare and private insurance companies. The VA OIG, the Department of Health and Human Services OIG, the FBI, the IRS' Criminal Investigation's Boston Field Office, the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, and the US Postal Inspection Service investigated this case.     

Timothy Doyle, of Selden, New York, agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the anti-kickback statute. It is alleged he conspired to offer and pay kickbacks to doctors in exchange for ordering medically unnecessary brain scans. Doyle allegedly conspired with others, including two managers for a mobile medical diagnostics company that performed transcranial Doppler scans, to enter into kickback agreements with various doctors. Doyle and his co-conspirators allegedly created purported rental and administrative service agreements, making it appear that doctors were compensated for the company’s use of space and administrative resources of the ordering doctor’s practice based on fair market value. According to the charging documents, the scheme resulted in fraudulent bills of approximately $70.6 million to Medicare. The VA OIG, the US Department of Health and Human Services OIG, the FBI Boston Division, the IRS’ Criminal Investigation Division Boston Field Office, the US Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration, and the US Postal Inspection Service Boston Division investigated this case.                

Dr. Vishnudat Seodat, of Mattituck, New York, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. From approximately June 2013 through June 2019, Seodat conspired with others, including a principal for a mobile medical diagnostics company that performed transcranial doppler scans, to order hundreds of medically unnecessary scans in exchange for kickbacks. He used false diagnoses to order the scans, for which a co-conspirator would submit claims to Medicare and other insurance companies on behalf of the medical diagnostic company for payment. In exchange, Seodat was paid kickbacks of approximately $100 per test. The scheme resulted in fraudulent bills of approximately $1 million to Medicare and private insurance companies. Sentencing is scheduled for March 11, 2025. The VA OIG, Health and Human Services OIG, FBI, Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division, Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration, and US Postal Service investigated the case. 

Timothy Doyle, of Selden, New York, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the anti-kickback statute. For more than seven years, Doyle conspired with others, including two managers for a mobile medical diagnostics company, to enter kickback agreements with various doctors to order medically unnecessary brain scans. The scheme resulted in fraudulent bills of approximately $70.6 million to Medicare. The VA OIG, the US Department of Health and Human Services OIG, the FBI, the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, the US Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration, and the USPS Inspection Service investigated this case.

David Fuhrmann, of Port Jefferson, New York, was charged and has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute. Fuhrmann allegedly conspired with others from June 2013 through at least September 2020, including two managers for a mobile medical diagnostics company that performed transcranial doppler (TCD) scans, to enter into kickback agreements with various doctors. According to charging documents, Fuhrmann and his co-conspirators agreed to offer and pay doctors kickbacks based on the number of TCD ultrasounds the doctors ordered. The scheme resulted in fraudulent bills of approximately $70.6 million to Medicare. The VA OIG, HHS OIG, FBI, IRS’ Criminal Investigation Unit, Department of Labor Employee Benefit Security Administration, and US Postal Inspection Service investigated this case.

David Fuhrmann, of Port Jefferson, New York, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute. From 2013 to 2020, Fuhrmann conspired with others to enter into agreements with physicians to perform medically unnecessary transcranial doppler scans in exchange for bribes. The potential loss to VA is approximately $650,000. This investigation was conducted by the VA OIG, FBI, HHS OIG, US Postal Inspection Service, Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration, and IRS Criminal Investigation. Sentencing is scheduled for July 10, 2025.

Dr. Kingsley R. Chin, CEO of SpineFrontier, Inc., a Massachusetts-based medical device company, pleaded guilty to making false statements to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Open Payments Program. Pursuant to the Physician Payment Sunshine Act, device manufacturers, like SpineFrontier, are required to report any payments or transfers of value to physicians, including spine surgeons. According to the charging documents, SpineFrontier offered surgeons the opportunity to engage in purported consulting on product development. Specifically, Chin directed his employees to report the payment of fees paid to a surgeon as consulting fees that were not compensation for actual consulting work. The VA OIG, Health & Human Services OIG, FBI’s Boston Division, and US Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division investigated this case.

James Rausch, a New York-based director for a mobile medical diagnostics company, has been charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the anti-kickback statute and has agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to provide kickbacks to doctors in exchange for ordering medically unnecessary brain scans. According to the charging documents, from approximately March 2015 through September 2020, Rausch and his co-conspirators agreed to pay doctors kickbacks based on the number of transcranial doppler (TCD) scans the doctors ordered. TCD scans are brain scans that measure blood flow in parts of the brain. It is alleged that the scheme as a whole resulted in fraudulent bills of approximately $70.6 million to Medicare. Medicare paid approximately $27.2 million to the TCD company for the fraudulent claims. The VA OIG, Health and Human Services OIG, FBI, Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation, Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated this case.

James Rausch, a New York-based director for a mobile medical diagnostics company, pleaded guilty to conspiring to offer and pay kickbacks to doctors in exchange for ordering medically unnecessary brain scans. From approximately March 2015 through September 2020, Rausch conspired with others, including two managers for a mobile medical diagnostics company that performed transcranial doppler (TCD) scans, to enter into kickback agreements with various doctors. TCD scans are brain scans that measure blood flow in parts of the brain. Rausch and his co-conspirators agreed to offer and pay doctors kickbacks based on the number of TCD ultrasounds the doctors ordered. The scheme resulted in fraudulent bills of approximately $70.6 million to Medicare. Medicare paid approximately $27.2 million to the TCD company for the fraudulent claims. The VA OIG, Health and Human Services OIG, FBI, Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division, Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated this case.

Dr. Kenneth Fishberger, of East Setauket, New York, was sentenced to serve two years of supervised release, including one year of home confinement, for receiving kickbacks. Fishberger was a licensed medical doctor for more than 45 years. From approximately June 2013 through December 2019, he conspired with others, including a principal for a mobile medical diagnostics company that performed transcranial doppler (TCD) scans, to order hundreds of medically unnecessary tests in exchange for kickbacks. TCD scans are brain scans that measure blood flow in specific brain regions. Fishberger and his alleged co-conspirators used false diagnoses to order unnecessary TCD scans, then a co-conspirator would submit claims to Medicare and other insurance companies, on behalf of the medical diagnostic company, for payment. In exchange, Fishberger was paid cash kickbacks. The scheme resulted in about $891,978 in fraudulent bills to government and private insurance companies. The VA OIG investigated this case with the Health and Human Services OIG, FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation Division, Department of Labor, and US Postal Inspection Service.

Dr. Vishnudat Seodat, of Mattituck, New York, was sentenced to serve two years of supervised release, including one year of home confinement, for receiving kickbacks. Seodat was a licensed medical doctor for about 36 years. From approximately June 2013 through December 2019, he conspired with others, including a principal for a mobile medical diagnostics company that performed transcranial doppler (TCD) scans, to order hundreds of medically unnecessary tests in exchange for kickbacks. TCD scans are brain scans that measure blood flow in specific brain regions. Seodat and his alleged co-conspirators used false diagnoses to order unnecessary TCD scans, then a co-conspirator would submit claims to Medicare and other insurance companies, on behalf of the medical diagnostic company, for payment. In exchange, Seodat was paid cash kickbacks. The scheme resulted in about $1 million in fraudulent bills to government and private insurance companies. The VA OIG investigated this case with the Health and Human Services OIG, FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation Division, Department of Labor, and US Postal Inspection Service.

A federal jury convicted three Texas men for a $145 million scheme to defraud the Department of Labor through fraudulent claims for prescription compound creams. According to evidence presented at trial, Dehshid “David” Nourian, of Plano; Texas, and Christopher Rydberg, of Fort Worth, Texas, and others conspired to pay Dr. Michael Taba, of McKinney, Texas, and other doctors to prescribe medically unnecessary compound creams to injured federal workers. Nourian and Rydberg owned and/or operated three pharmacies located in Fort Worth and Arlington, Texas. They paid Taba for referring expensive compound medications to be filled by those pharmacies. In less than three years, the pharmacies billed the Department of Labor Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs and Blue Cross Blue Shield more than $145 million and were paid more than $90 million for unnecessary prescriptions referred by Taba and other providers in exchange for bribes and kickbacks. Nourian, Rydberg, and others then attempted to conceal their ill-gotten gains by laundering the money through purported holding companies and attempted to evade paying federal income taxes on the illicit proceeds. The VA OIG, USPS-OIG, DOL OIG, and IRS Criminal Investigations investigated the case.

Texas pharmacist Dehshid “David” Nourian, of Plano, was sentenced to 17 years in prison, ordered to pay over $115 million in restitution, and forfeit $405 million in assets for his role in a $145 million scheme to defraud the Department of Labor through the submission of fraudulent claims for prescriptions between May 2014 and March 2017. Nourian and others owned and operated pharmacies located in Fort Worth and Arlington and conspired to pay doctors to prescribe medically unnecessary compound creams to injured federal workers. Throughout the scheme, they paid doctors millions of dollars in illegal bribes and kickbacks for referring expensive compound medications to be filled by those pharmacies. Evidence at trial showed these compounds were mixed in the back rooms of the pharmacies by untrained teenagers at a cost to the defendants of around $15 per prescription and then billed to the Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs for as much as $16,000 per prescription. This case was investigated by the VA OIG, US Postal Service OIG, Department of Labor OIG, and IRS Criminal Investigations.

Richard Rompala, the founder of Senior Veterans Administration Services (SVAS), and four employees—Carolina Riemer, Karen Kral, Gina Ayala, and Mary Lou Griffin—were indicted for exploiting elderly veterans and scamming the VA out of approximately $20 million in fraudulent benefits. Rompala founded SVAS to act as a charitable organization assisting veterans. SVAS employees would contact veterans, inform them of the organization’s free service, and let them know they were eligible for benefits—which they were not. SVAS employees would falsify documentation to make the veterans eligible and send the falsified documents to the VA, which would provide SVAS with financial benefits. SVAS, through a separate entity, would either demand direct payment or a large percentage of the benefits before releasing the remainder to the veterans. The VA OIG, Ohio Attorney General’s Office, and Ohio Department of Commerce investigated this case.