Former Rochester Podiatrist Sentenced for Heath Care and Mail Fraud

ROCHESTER, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Michael Akyuz, 44, of Rochester, New York, was sentenced to five years' probation and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $662,091 by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa following his conviction for  health care and mail fraud.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Gestring, who handled the case, stated that the defendant, a former podiatrist, was convicted of health care fraud and mail fraud after knowingly submitting false and fraudulent insurance claim forms to Medicare and Excellus which certified that he performed approved medical services when, in fact, he had not. As a result, Akyuz received inflated reimbursement checks which were mailed to his Rochester office through the United States Postal Service. Over the course of the five years, the defendant received in excess of $750,000 in health care reimbursements to which he was not otherwise entitled.

The conviction was the culmination of an investigation on the part of special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James H. Robertson; special agents of the Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Thomas F. O'Donnell; and investigators from the New York State Insurance Department - Frauds Bureau, under the direction of Frank Orlando.