A Florida man was sentenced to 120 months in prison for his role in a healthcare fraud and kickback scheme. Pat Truglia, 54, of Parkland, Florida, previously pleaded guilty in Newark federal court to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. Two co-defendants, Nicholas Defonte, 73, and Christopher Cirri, 64, both of Toms River, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty to the same conspiracy and are awaiting sentencing. According to documents filed in these cases and statements made in court: Each defendant played a role in defrauding healthcare benefit programs by offering, paying, soliciting, and receiving kickbacks and bribes in exchange for completed doctors’ orders for durable medical equipment, namely orthotic braces (DME orders). The defendants caused losses to Medicare, TRICARE, and CHAMPVA of approximately $50 million. In addition to the prison term, Truglia was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution of $33,777,799.67 and forfeiture of $9,477,925.
