Former Doctor Sentenced to Home Detention on Health Care Fraud Convictions

BUFFALO, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced that former medical doctor Daniel C. Gillick, 63, of Youngstown, New York, who previously pleaded guilty to obtaining controlled substances by fraud and health care fraud, was sentenced today to six months of home detention and two years’ probation. As a part of the plea, the defendant surrendered his medical license.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy C. Lynch and Maura K. O’Donnell, who handled the case, stated that between August 2011 and September 7, 2011, the defendant was employed as an emergency room physician at Schuyler Hospital. During that time, Gillick devised a scheme whereby on September 7, 2011, his then-girlfriend, Christine Guilfoyle, reported to the emergency room at Schuyler Hospital and pretended to suffer from a medical condition known as trygeminal neuralgia. The defendant then performed an apparent examination of her, fraudulently diagnosed her as suffering from trygeminal neuralgia and issued a prescription to her for Dilauded, a controlled substance.

In reality, Gillick's girlfriend was not suffering from this condition and had no medical need for the drug Dilaudid. In participating in this illegal scheme, the defendant defrauded Schuyler Hospital and also aided and abetted his former girlfriend in obtaining a controlled substance by fraud.

“This office has previously spoken about the need for all segments of the community to understand and help combat the dangers associated with the illegal trafficking in painkillers,” said United States Attorney Hochul. “Doctors and other medical professionals need to also understand that this office will not hesitate to bring criminal charges against them when warranted by the facts and the law.”

On November 22, 2013, U.S. Magistrate Judge Hugh B. Scott sentenced Christine Guilfoyle to time-served for her misdemeanor conviction for possessing cocaine base.

These cases are the result of an investigation on the part of special agents of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Brian R. Crowell, Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Division; special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian P. Boetig; the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Michael Cerretto; Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of James Engleman, Director of Field Operations; the New York State Attorney General Medicaid Fraud Control Unit; the Amherst Police Department, under the direction of Chief John Askey; the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Daniel Derenda; the Lancaster Police Department, under the direction of Chief Gerald Gill; the Erie County Sheriff's Department, under the direction of Sheriff Timothy Howard; the Depew Police Department, under the direction of Chief Stan Carwile; and the Niagara County Sherif's Drug Task Force, under the direction of Sheriff James Votour.