Doctor Indicted in Verizon Billing Scam

Published: 2007-12-29 10:19:18
Author: Associated Press, November 2, 2007

NEW YORK - A physician whose wife vanished and was later found dead in the East River was arraigned Thursday on charges of running a "medical mill" that cheated the Verizon Communications Inc. health plan by fraudulent billing.

Dr. Alexander Aronov, 49, and New York Metro Medical double billed for single services, billed for unneeded treatments and for longer treatments than were actually performed, Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said.

Aronov's scheme, uncovered during an unrelated investigation, was caught on audio tape by an undercover officer for whom the doctor prescribed unnecessary treatment, a prosecutor told the court.

Aronov, a licensed physician, pleaded not guilty to charges of third-degree grand larceny, health care fraud, and unauthorized practice of a profession. He faces seven years in prison if convicted on the larceny charge.

Morgenthau said that between October 2005 and March 2006 in the clinic's East 38th Street offices, Aronov prescribed treatment for the healthy undercover officer who said she was a Verizon (nyse: VZ - news - people ) employee and insured under the company's health plan.

Aronov prescribed physical therapy and chiropractic treatments several times a week for four weeks, Morgenthau said. He said New York Metro Medical billed Verizon for $6,947.50 worth of the unnecessary treatments.

Aronov's lawyer, Douglas Najari, said his client treated the undercover appropriately considering the problems she described.

Najari said prosecutors have been "haranguing" Aronov since his wife Svetlana disappeared in March 2003. Her body was found May 6, 2003, in the East River off Long Island City. The medical examiner said she drowned but did not know how.

"They're frustrated that they've botched Svetlana's investigation," Najari said, "so they're taking it out on him (Aronov)."

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