Dr. Samson K. Orusa, 61, of Clarksville, Tennessee, was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison after being convicted of over a dozen felony healthcare fraud charges, announced United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee. The defendant, through his medical clinic in Clarksville, billed federal health insurance programs for hundreds of medically unnecessary services, including unnecessary office visits and steroid injections. The evidence at trial showed that he required Medicare beneficiaries and other patients to visit his clinic as many as six times each month and to undergo unnecessary steroid injections in order to obtain their prescriptions. The evidence also showed that the defendant altered progress visit notes in his patients’ medical records to justify higher billing rates.
The defendant was charged in 2018 with 45 criminal violations, including 13 counts of healthcare fraud. He was convicted at trial of all charges except for nine counts of illegal distribution of oxycodone. Yesterday’s sentencing concerned only the healthcare fraud crimes charged in the indictment. In addition to the 84-month prison sentence, the defendant was ordered to pay over $1 million in restitution and serve three years of supervised release. He was also fined $195,000 and must forfeit previously seized assets worth approximately $900,000.
