Domenick Braccia, of Hatfield, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to 37 months' incarceration, one year supervised release, 150 hours of community service, a $15,000 fine, and ordered to pay $2,484,864 in restitution by U.S. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone.
Braccia previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud arising from his role in a scheme to overbill health care benefit programs for treatment and testing of drug-addicted patients at outpatient facilities owned by Liberation Way.
In a statement, prosecutors said that Braccia was the so-called "medical director" and the only medical doctor on staff at Liberation Way's three locations in Yardley, Bala Cynwyd, and Fort Washington. According to the government, in violation of his oath as a doctor, and as part of a multi-state scheme to defraud insurers, Braccia signed blank prescription forms and patient orders, averred to the medical necessity of testing for patients whom he never saw, and prescribed for patients he did not see.
"We have consistently said that this case should send a message to those attempting to profit from fraud and the despair of individuals battling addiction," said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams. "With this sentence, that message has been delivered in a powerful and concrete way. Dominick Braccia is through practicing medicine and is going to prison."
"The operators of Liberation Way shamelessly took advantage of people suffering from substance use disorder to line their own pockets," said Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. "As medical director, Dr. Braccia played a significant role in this fraud and betrayed the patients he was supposed to be helping. I'm proud that through collaboration with our federal law enforcement partners, we held him accountable for his despicable actions today, and we will continue to do the same with the remaining Liberation Way defendants."
Steven A. Meyerowitz
Steven A. Meyerowitz, a Harvard Law School graduate, is the founder and president of Meyerowitz Communications Inc., a law firm marketing communications consulting company. He may be contacted at [email protected].