Workers’ Compensation Doctor Convicted of Billing Fraud in LA County.
A workers’ compensation doctor has pleaded guilty to two felony counts of billing fraud for selling marked-up goods to his practice from his own medical supply company over several years, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Under the terms of the negotiated plea agreement, Gil Tepper (dob 2/4/60) of Beverly Hills is permanently disqualified from being a provider in the workers’ compensation system and is prohibited from operating any physician-owned medical supply distribution company.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Jose I. Sandoval ordered Tepper to pay more than $1.7 million in restitution to nine insurance companies who were overbilled for the medical supplies. The defendant also was sentenced to six months of electronic monitoring and must complete 300 hours of community service.
About $1.1 million in restitution will be paid from Tepper’s frozen funds and he must pay the remaining amount by sentencing on Jan. 28, 2020. If Tepper doesn’t comply with the terms of the plea agreement, he faces a possible maximum sentence of six years in state prison.
Tepper entered the plea on Feb. 6 and the plea agreement was finalized.
Case BA456262 was prosecuted by Head Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Lentz Snyder of the Healthcare Fraud Division.
Between March 2006 and May 2014, Tepper submitted fraudulent invoices with inflated prices for medical supplies purchased by his practice, Miracle Mile Medical Center, from another company he owned, Metalink Distributors, Inc.
His co-defendant, Jorge Antonio Vital (dob 1/17/73), is charged with eight counts of workers’ compensation insurance fraud and one count each of conspiracy to commit a crime and attempted perjury under oath, all felonies. The charges include an allegation of taking property valued at more than $3.2 million.
A pre-preliminary hearing for Vital is scheduled for Feb. 19 in Department 50 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
The case was investigated by the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation.