Dr. Robert Vaccarino, 61, of Breezy Point, Queens, was arrested on charges of enterprise corruption and grand larceny in Brooklyn Heights today. The Cardiologist was among 20 people, including 3 other physicians, who ran a $146 million insurance fraud scam for over the last 3 years. The fraud ring effectively suckered taxpayer money from publicly funded insurance groups, into their own pockets.
Allegedly, the group targeted homeless and low-income individuals, bringing them into a “free” clinic, even offering the individuals $30 to $40 cash to participate. Then, they would bill Medical, Medicaid, and several other publicly funded insurance providers for the testing they performed on the patients. In most instances, there was no doctor present during the patients' clinic visits. The billing statements to the insurance companies reflected services far more thorough and extensive than those actually performed at the clinics.
The scheme leader was Kristina Mirbabayeva, 35, and an investigation into the fraud shows that she used money from the operation to purchase a $3.25 million penthouse in Brooklyn. She was also found to have $700,000 in cash alone at her home.
Vaccarino earned his medical degree at Bologna University in Italy over 20 years ago. He was practicing at several centers around Brooklyn, New York, and had been appointed as an NYPD surgeon on the basis of his expertise in his specialty.
Source: abc7ny.com
