Masked Man Robs Government; Faces 10 Years

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The mask itself didn’t raise any suspicions.  After all, the man wearing it—Richard Toussaint–was an anesthesiologist.  But like so many other masked men, he turned out to be a thief.  That’s why on March 4 he was convicted in a Texas federal court on seven counts of health care fraud totaling about $10 million.  He faces up to ten years in federal prison, plus a $250,000 fine on each of the seven counts.

Like so many brilliant ideas—and even more dumb ones—the scheme was simple.  Dr. Toussaint simply billed a host of health insurance companies, including the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, for anesthesia services he never performed.  Sometimes he billed for a patient when he wasn’t present at the procedure.  Sometimes he claimed to be working in two different hospitals at the same time.  Once he billed for a procedure when at that moment he was miles away, undergoing surgery–and presumably receiving anesthesia–himself.

No sentencing date has been set.

The case is U.S. v. Toussaint, 3:15-cr-00215 (W.D. Tex. 03-04-2016).

 

DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations.

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