Brookfield Podiatrist Sentenced to 41 Months in Federal Prison for Defrauding Medicare

Deirdre M. Daly, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Samir Zaky, 38, of Brookfield, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Alfred V. Covello in Hartford to 41 months of imprisonment, followed by one year of supervised release, for defrauding Medicare.

On June 14, 2013, a jury found Zaky guilty of 14 counts of health care fraud and 14 counts of making false statements relating to health care matters. According to the evidence at trial, Zaky is a podiatrist who operated Affiliated Podiatrists LLC in Brookfield. From August 2010 to July 2011, Zaky submitted numerous claims to the Medicare program stating that he had performed nail avulsions, a surgical procedure that requires use of an injectable anesthetic and removes the entire border of a patient’s toenail. In fact, Zaky had only clipped or trimmed the patient’s toenails.

Judge Covello ordered Zaky to pay $134,139 in restitution to Medicare, which includes restitution for fraudulent claims dating back to 2005.

Zaky has been detained since June 17, 2013, after U.S. Magistrate Judge Holly B. Fitzsimmons determined that Zaky had violated the conditions of his bond by traveling to the house of a 93-year-old patient shortly after his conviction to ask his patient why he had testified against him during the trial.

This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David J. Sheldon and Christopher W. Schmeisser and Auditor Kevin Saunders.

Acting U.S. Attorney Daly encouraged individuals who suspect health care fraud to report it by calling the Health Care Fraud Task Force at 203-777-6311 or 1-800-HHS-TIPS.