California Injury Lawyers Blog
A physician’s assistant who was not licensed or trained to perform surgery operated on hundreds of patients while the orthopedic surgeon who billed for the procedures schemed with colleagues to hide a massive insurance fraud conspiracy, Los Angeles prosecutors said.
Prosecutors opposed reducing bail Friday for 13 people who pleaded not guilty in the $150 million fraud scheme and outlined a complex operation that spanned a decade and led to unnecessary and detrimental surgeries for unwitting patients.
The indictments “paint a clear picture of a sophisticated and savvy group of criminal conspirators who placed profits above the health and welfare of the thousands of patients they purported to treat,” Deputy District Attorney Catherine Chon said in court papers filed Thursday. “The callous disregard and extreme indifference that was shown to unsuspecting victims is reflected in the overt acts alleged.”