LOS ANGELES– A Valencia doctor pleaded guilty today to federal charges for submitting more than $2.4 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare.

Dr. Gary J. Ordog, 61, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Fernando M. Olguin to one count of health care fraud. Judge Olguin is scheduled to sentence Ordog on August 18.

According to admissions made as part of his plea agreement, Ordog, a physician specializing in toxicology, submitted false claims to Medicare for purported visits with Medicare beneficiaries, when in fact those visits never actually occurred. Ordog admitted the he submitted bills for services purportedly performed on deceased Medicare beneficiaries, supposedly performed when he was out of the country, and that totaled more than 24 hours for one day. Ordog fabricated patient records to support false claims, he admitted.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker, Special Agent in Charge Christian Schrank of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Los Angeles Region and Special Agent in Charge Joseph Fendrick of the California Department of  Justice's Orange County and San Diego Office made the announcement.

“Medical professionals who defraud Medicare drive up the costs associated with healthcare for everyone,” said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “This crime harms both taxpayers and patients.”

Between January 2009 and February 2015, Ordog submitted approximately $2,435,089 in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, he admitted.Medicare paid approximately $1,295,699 of those claims, according to the plea agreement.

The HHS-OIG and the California Department of Justice investigated the case, which was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division's Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.  Fraud Section Trial Attorneys Ritesh Srivastava and Niall O'Donnell are prosecuting the case.

Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged over 2,300 defendants who collectively have billed the Medicare program for over $7 billion.  In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), go towww.stopmedicarefraud.gov.

USAO – California, Central Topic: Healthcare FraudUpdated April 28, 2016

Central District of California DOJ / 16-509 / April 28, 2016