Brookline Doctor Charged In Huge Medicaid Fraud Case
MALDEN (CBS) - A local doctor charged with Medicaid fraud was ordered held on $150,000 bail Wednesday.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports
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Dr. Punyamurtula Kishore, 61, was arrested Tuesday night at his home in Brookline. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Wednesday in Malden District Court.
Kishore specializes in drug addiction care. He has been charged with running a kickback scheme involving approximately $500,000 in taxpayer funds, according to prosecutors.
WBZ-TV's Paul Burton reports
Prosecutor Nancy Maroney said Kishore was paying kickbacks to sober houses so he could get contracts with them for drug testing.
She added that the fraud charges are just the "tip of the iceberg" and a "bunch of indictments" are expected in the "large scale criminal kickbacks scheme."
"Medicaid Fraud cases involve the theft of taxpayer dollars and undermine the integrity of our health care system," Attorney General Martha Coakley said in a statement.
"In this case, we allege that Dr. Kishore orchestrated a complex kickback scheme to funnel drug screen business to his laboratories and then bill MassHealth for those services. Our investigation continues into his practices."
Kishore has allegedly received more than $20 million in payments from MassHealth for his services over the years.
In court Wednesday, Kishore's attorney Mark Berthiaume said his client has done nothing wrong.
"(He) has dedicated his life to treating folks with addiction problems. He had 20 facilities that began over 30 years ago here in Massachusetts," Berthiaume said.
Maroney had requested $1 million bail, claiming the doctor was a flight risk.
Berthiaume said Kishore has been in the United States for 30 years, has a green card, is married to an American citizen, and hasn't been to his native India since 1986.
