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A Peachtree City man has been sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison for his role in a Medicare fraud conspiracy involving unnecessary genetic testing, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Patrick Moore Jr., 48, pleaded guilty in May to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. Federal officials announced Tuesday that he will serve 46 months in prison and pay more than $7.2 million in restitution.
Prosecutors said Moore operated a network of recruiters who targeted Medicare recipients and convinced them to undergo genetic testing they did not need. Moore then received about $4.3 million in kickbacks and bribes from co-conspirators in exchange for referring beneficiaries’ insurance information and other personal data. He used those funds to pay the recruiters, investigators said.
According to the Justice Department, Moore also created fake invoices to conceal illegal referral payments that violated the federal Anti-Kickback Statute.
The laboratories connected to Moore and others involved billed Medicare roughly $24 million for the tests. Medicare ultimately paid out about $7.2 million, officials said.
Federal officials did not identify the laboratories associated with the scheme. Moore’s sentence also includes three years of supervised release following his prison term.
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