Federal grand jury indicts Peoria doctor on health care fraud charges

PHOENIX – A metro Phoenix physician was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges including health care fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Dr. Linh Cao Nguyen, 48, of Peoria, is accused of submitting false medical service claims for “over a decade,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tucson said last week, allegedly receiving about $33 million in Medicare funds and billing the program about $50 million.

Nguyen operated a mobile medical practice, treating patients in their homes and living facilities in Phoenix and Tucson.

The indictment said the West Valley doctor knew that the submitted service was not completed by a physician and did not qualify for reimbursement as a physician; were not medically necessary; billed at a higher complexity level than the actual level of care provided; and that he “created false medical records to conceal and avoid detection of his fraudulent billing practices.”

Federal prosecutors said the grand jury returned a 50-count indictment.

The United States Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the FBI are investigating the case.

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