Pelham Manor man pleads guilty in health care fraud and kickback scheme

Manishkumar Patel, of Pelham Manor, has pleaded guilty to health care fraud, wire fraud, and violation of the anti-kickback statute.

Between 2019 and 2022, Patel and a co-conspirator obtained prescription information from call centers, arranged telemedicine appointments with Medicare patients, and had a doctor sign off on fake prescriptions without seeing a patient.

The drugs were then allegedly sold to Medicare providers, resulting in nearly $50 million in losses.

In addition to the charges, Patel was ordered to pay more than $48 million in restitution to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and forfeit more than $6 million.

Each count carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.