James A. Sakr, MD, has agreed to pay $602,661.61 to resolve allegations, arising under the False Claims Act, that he fraudulently billed Medicare and Medicaid for procedures that were not medically necessary or that he did not perform. Assistant US Attorney David M. Coriell, who handled the case, stated that from at least January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2019, Dr. Sakr, an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctor based in Dansville, NY, billed Medicare and Medicaid for procedures not performed at all or were not documented in patient medical records. The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Lee M. Mandel, MD, FACS. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The resolution of this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York, the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the New York State Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
