A Filipino-Canadian doctor has been found guilty of orchestrating a $24 million health care fraud scheme in the United States, involving illegal kickbacks and fraudulent Medicare billings.
According to a GMA News Online report, Dr. Alexander Baldonado, a 69-year-old U.S. permanent resident, was convicted on 10 counts, including conspiracy to commit health care fraud and solicitation of illegal kickbacks, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Court documents revealed that Baldonado accepted cash bribes in exchange for authorizing unnecessary medical tests and orthotic braces, which were then billed to Medicare. He allegedly ordered hundreds of expensive cancer genetic tests for Medicare patients who attended COVID-19 testing events at assisted living facilities and senior centers in 2020—many of whom he had never examined or even spoken to.
Additionally, Baldonado falsely billed Medicare for office visits that never took place. Testimonies from affected Medicare beneficiaries confirmed they were unaware of his involvement and never received follow-ups regarding their test results.
Further evidence showed him on undercover video receiving large sums of cash in exchange for prescribing unnecessary orthotic braces, contributing to Medicare losses exceeding $24 million. Of this amount, over $2.1 million was paid out to the involved laboratories and a medical equipment supplier.
Baldonado has been taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service and is scheduled for sentencing on June 26. He faces up to 10 years in prison for each count of health care fraud and related offenses. A federal judge will determine his final sentence based on statutory guidelines.
Efforts to obtain a statement from his attorney, Jose Muniz, have so far been unsuccessful.
