Local Chiropractor and Company Sentenced on Federal Health Care Fraud and Pension Fraud Charges

ST LOUIS, MO—Dr. Anthony Calandro was sentenced to 72 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay $1,018,746 restitution for billing 18 insurance companies and patients for services the patients did not receive and using pension plan funds, without authorization, to buy stock and to purchase several Florida condominiums. His business, Chiropractic Accident Centre of Crestwood, was sentenced on the health care fraud charges to two years of probation and ordered to pay a $2,000 special assessment.

Anthony William Calandro, Chesterfield, Missouri, and Chiropractic Accident Centre of Crestwood P.C., St. Louis, Missouri, were convicted in November of one felony count of health care fraud. Dr. Calandro was also convicted of three counts of making false statements related to health care services, the corporation was convicted of four counts of making false statements.

According to testimony presented at his trial, during 2010 and 2011, two undercover investigations revealed that Dr. Calandro and Chiropractic Centre billed multiple insurance companies for services that were never rendered. From 2006 to 2011, they submitted numerous reimbursement claims that falsely stated that the Chiropractic Centre had taken more X-rays than were actually taken. In almost all instances, only one or two X-rays were taken during a patient’s visit, but as many as eight to 12 X-ray views were billed. Dr. Calandro also billed for other non-rendered services, including whirlpool therapy, although he did not have a whirlpool. Because health insurance companies would not reimburse Dr. Calandro and Chiropractic Centre for a missed or canceled appointment, they falsely indicated that a billable service had been provided to patients. Using false procedure codes, they submitted thousands of false claims for missed and canceled appointments.

According to court documents, on January 23, 2013, Dr. Calandro pled guilty in another case to mail fraud and making false statements to federal agencies concerning the Chiropractic Centre pension plan. Dr. Calandro was the trustee for the pension plan and had sole control over the funds of the pension plan. In 2005 and 2006, he used $60,000 of the pension plan funds to buy stock and $128,121 to make down payments on the purchase of three Florida condominiums in his name. To conceal the theft of the funds, from 2005 to 2009, Dr. Calandro falsely reported to his employees, the Department of Labor, and the Internal Revenue Service that the pension plan owned the condominiums and other assets.

Dr. Calandro appeared today for sentencing before United States District Judge E. Richard Webber.

Dr. Calandro’s billing assistant Sherry Rueter, St. Louis, Missouri, previously pled guilty to related health care fraud charges and has been sentenced.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Labor-Office of the Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorneys Dorothy McMurtry and Dianna Collins handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.