GEICO was part of an industry-wide task force in Florida that provided authorities with information used to sentence South Florida chiropractor Dr. Barry Silverstein to 34 months imprisonment. Silverstein was charged with conspiracy to commit heath care fraud by defrauding private insurance companies and was also fined $100,000. He surrendered his medical license and closed his chiropractic clinic in Plantation, Fla.
As part of his sentence, Silverstein was ordered to return $1.7 million to insurers that he defrauded. GEICO was awarded $208,000 of the total.
"This was a big service to all Florida residents," said George Rogers, GEICO's Lakeland regional vice president. "Everyone who worked on this case wants to see fraudulent claims operations closed down. We are proud to be part of the state-wide task force that uncovered this operation."
An FBI investigation showed that Silverstein was billing private insurers for services and supplies that were unnecessary or never provided to some patients.
Seth Ingall, vice president of GEICO's claims division, said, "GEICO worked with several state agencies, 15 other insurers and the NICB (National Insurance Crime Bureau) to bring this case to trial. We are very pleased about the court-ordered restitution and that insurers will have some funds restored.
"We are pursuing other professionals in Florida for the same reasons and are following leads on others running phony medical mills, billing for non-existent procedures, inflating medical fees and taking advantage of the public."
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