Spyros Panos, a former orthopedic surgeon, who was previously convicted of healthcare fraud, pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud, healthcare fraud, and aggravated identity theft, in connection with a scheme in which he assumed the identity of a licensed orthopedic surgeon and obtained over $876,000 in payments for reviewing patient files in connection with healthcare appeals and Workers Compensation cases. According to the allegations in the Indictment to which he pleaded guilty, Panos, 52, of Hopewell Junction, New York, an unlicensed physician, perpetrated a scheme to defraud medical peer review companies by impersonating a licensed orthopedic surgeon practicing in Westchester County (“Doctor-1”). Among other things, PANOS submitted Doctor-1’s credentials to peer review companies and conducted peer reviews using Doctor-1’s name and credentials. During the course of the scheme, PANOS defrauded the peer review companies of $876,389.97. According to court documents, in advance of his November 2, 2020, trial, PANOS submitted proposed defense exhibits that included fraudulent emails and records.
