Shanelyn Kennedy, 25, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, a medical assistant, admitted participating in a conspiracy to receive bribes and kickbacks in exchange for ordering genetic tests. Kennedy worked as a medical assistant for Yitzachok “Barry” Kurtzer, a primary care physician with separate offices in the Scranton area. From at least 2018, Kurtzer and his wife, Robin Kurtzer accepted monthly cash kickbacks and bribes in exchange for collecting DNA samples from Medicare patients and sending them for genetic tests to clinical laboratories in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The cash kickbacks ranged up to $5,000, and the Kurtzers typically accepted the cash in one of Kurtzer’s offices, at times behind locked doors. Even as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic substantially reduced in-patient visits, the Kurtzers continued with their scheme. They went from receiving hand-delivered cash kickbacks and bribes to accepting payments by wire and through a mobile phone money-transfer application. Kennedy participated in the conspiracy with another employee, Amber Harris, who has previously pleaded guilty for her role in the scheme. They both helped collect the DNA swabs in exchange for also receiving kickbacks and bribes, both in cash and later using the money-transfer application. As a result of the scheme, Medicare paid $755,241 for genetic tests generated from Kurtzer’s practice.
