An Amtrak employee has admitted to his involvement in a health care fraud scheme that defrauded the company, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna. Anthony Saloka, 44, from Elizabeth, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court. He was charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
Court documents and statements reveal that between January 2019 and June 2022, Saloka and others participated in a scheme involving cash kickbacks from health care providers. These providers used personal and insurance information to submit fraudulent claims for services not rendered or unnecessary ones. Saloka received thousands of dollars from these providers, including Punson Figueroa, an acupuncturist, and Michael DeNicola, a podiatrist. Figueroa had previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 34 months in prison on September 24, 2024. DeNicola also pleaded guilty on June 29, 2022; his sentencing is pending.
The fraudulent claims led the Amtrak health care plan to pay over $11 million. The charge of conspiracy to commit health care fraud carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.
Sentencing for Saloka is set for June 4, 2025.
Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna credited special agents from several agencies for their roles in the investigation: the Amtrak Office of Inspector General under Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Waters; the Amtrak Police Department under Chief Samuel Dotson; and the Drug Enforcement Administration under Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica R. Ecker and Katherine M. Romano of the Health Care Fraud Unit in Newark.