Healthcare Fraud Scheme Costs Amtrak $1.3 Million: New Jersey Doctor Sentenced to Prison
In a recent case, an Essex County doctor named Muhammad Mirza was sentenced to 26 months in prison for his involvement in a scheme to fraudulently bill Amtrak’s employee health care plan for unnecessary services. Between April 2017 and June 2022, Mirza and other conspirators submitted false claims to Amtrak’s health insurance company, claiming that these services were either never provided or were medically unnecessary.
Mirza and his co-conspirators paid Amtrak employees to use their health insurance billing information to submit fraudulent claims. As a result, Amtrak lost over $1.3 million due to the fraudulent scheme. Mirza operated medical offices in several states, including New Jersey and New York.
In addition to his prison sentence, Mirza was ordered to pay $1.37 million in restitution and serve two years of supervised release. An attorney for Mirza did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the sentence. An Amtrak spokesperson referred questions to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The details of this case highlight the seriousness of healthcare fraud and how it can have devastating consequences on both individuals and organizations like Amtrak. It is crucial that those involved in such schemes are held accountable for their actions through legal consequences such as fines, imprisonment, and restitution orders.
