Physician & Operations Manager Of Washington, Pa. Treatment Clinic Sentenced For Unlawful Distribution Scheme
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Dr. Madhu Aggarawal and Christopher Handa were sentenced in federal court for offenses related to the unlawful distribution of controlled substances scheme and health care fraud.
Dr. Aggarawal was sentenced to three years of probation, six months of home confinement and ordered to pay $82,973.75 in restitution along with a fine of $40,000 and criminal forfeiture of $50,000. She also will have to complete 100 hours of community service.
Handa was sentenced to two years probation, 90 days of home confinement, ordered to pay $40,000 in restitution and will have to complete 50 hours of community service.
According to evidence, Dr. Aggarawal was practicing at Redirections Treatment Advocates in Washington, Pa. and conspired with Handa to create and submit prescriptions for buprenorphine, know as Subutex and Suboxone, and then subsequently dispense those subscriptions to clinic patients. These prescriptions were pre-signed and completed by non-physicians at the clinic.
Prescriptions were often given before Aggarawal even saw the patients and at times she was out of the country when prescriptions were given.
Aggarawal was also convicted of health care fraud for sending fraudulent claims regarding the unlawful prescriptions to Medicare.
Handa was Redirections Treatment Advocates Operations Manager and conspired with the owner as well as Dr. Aggarawal to create the unlawful prescriptions and sending fraudulent claims to Medicare.