Physician Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud Violation

NEW ORLEANS—Dr. Jack Voight, age 81, of Metairie, Louisiana pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Court Judge Lance M. Africk to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Jim Letten.

According to the second superseding indictment, Voight participated in a criminal organization for the purpose of fraudulently billing Medicare and Medicaid. Patients went to the medical clinics for medical tests that were not performed and not medically necessary. Patients were moved between the various clinics to repeatedly perform the same unnecessary tests. According to the superseding bill of information and indictment, the doctors, including Voight, gave the patients prescriptions for drugs, usually narcotics, for their cooperation.

Thereafter, bills for the false and unnecessary services were submitted to Medicaid and Medicare by a third party medical claims processing and billing company that worked with other New Orleans-area clinics that have already entered guilty pleas.

Count 32 of the superseding indictment carries a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment. Sentencing for Voight has been set for January 10, 2013.

Artem Gasparyan, Anahit Petrosyan, Vadim Mysak, Daria Litvinova, Ernestine Girod, Anna Aivazova, Aram Khlgatian, Jo Ann Girod; and the medical clinics, Health Plus Consulting Inc., Saturn Medical Group, New Millennium Medical Group, Inc.; and the biller, Solo Lucky Claims Processing Inc., have already pleaded guilty and most are awaiting sentence.

The investigation was conducted by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; and the Louisiana Department of Justice, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrice Harris Sullivan, G. Dall Kammer, and Jordan Ginsberg.