A New York operations manager has been charged in federal court in Boston for allegedly participating in a kickback scheme involving unnecessary brain scans. Timothy Doyle, 45, of Selden, N.Y., is accused of conspiring to offer and pay kickbacks to doctors for ordering transcranial doppler (TCD) scans, which measure blood flow in the brain.
Doyle has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the anti-kickback statute. The plea hearing has not yet been scheduled by the court.
According to the charging documents, between June 2013 and September 2020, Doyle conspired with others, including two managers from a mobile medical diagnostics company, to establish kickback agreements with doctors. It is alleged that they offered payments based on the number of TCD ultrasounds ordered. They reportedly created fake rental and administrative service agreements that disguised these payments as compensation for using office space and resources.
The fraudulent scheme allegedly led to approximately $70.6 million in Medicare bills.
The charge against Doyle could result in a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine up to $250,000. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge according to U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
The case involves multiple agencies: Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Roberto Coviello from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Jodi Cohen from the FBI's Boston Division; Jonathan Wlodyka from IRS Criminal Investigation Division; Carol S. Hamilton from U.S. Department of Labor; Ketty Larco-Ward from U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Christopher Algieri from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Howard Locker and Mackenzie Queenin are prosecuting this case.
The allegations detailed are claims at this stage, with Doyle presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in court.