Another Defendant Pleads Guilty In Cropsey Medical Care Fraud Scheme
Gregory Konoplya pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in connection to a $13 million Medicare/Medicaid scheme based out of Bensonhurst. According to a Department of Justice (DOJ) press release, Konoplya is the fourth defendant to enter a guilty plea in connection to the activities taking place at the Cropsey Medical Care clinic (1706 Cropsey Avenue).
In July, we reported on the guilty plea put forth by Leonid Zalkind, the operator of the clinic. Zalkind currently faces up to 20 years in prison on his admission of conspiracy to commit money laundering. The DOJ press release described the crimes of Konoplya, 57, as well as the penalties he now faces:
According to court documents, from 2009 to 2012, Konoplya, working through an ambulette company in Brooklyn, recruited patients to attend a Brooklyn clinic called Cropsey Medical Care PLLC. An ambulette is a vehicle licensed by New York State’s Medicaid program to transport beneficiaries to and from medical facilities when such transportation is medically necessary. Konoplya paid employees of Cropsey Medical a per-beneficiary cash kickback so that Cropsey Medical would accept Konoplya’s beneficiaries as patients and Konoplya’s ambulette company could bill Medicaid for the transportation of beneficiaries to and from Cropsey Medical. Once Konoplya’s beneficiaries were transported to Cropsey Medical, they were paid cash kick backs to induce them to continue to attend the clinic and receive medically unnecessary physical therapy, diagnostic testing and other services. Such purported medical services were then fraudulently billed by Cropsey Medical to Medicare and Medicaid…
At sentencing, Konoplya faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of over $850,000, restitution of up to $429,000 and forfeiture of up to the same amount, $429,000.
US Attorney Loretta Lynch promised more action on this case and warned other Medicare/Medicaid schemers that the DOJ isn’t letting up in their pursuit of cheats:
“Gregory Konoplya tried to take taxpayers for a ride with his fraudulent ambulette service,” stated United States Attorney Lynch. “He used illegal cash kickbacks to recruit Medicaid beneficiaries to obtain medical services, including rides in his ambulettes, which the beneficiaries did not need. Konoplya is the latest defendant to be convicted in connection with the government’s ongoing investigation of the Cropsey Medical Care clinic, which submitted more than $13 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicaid. We will continue to do our part to root out health care fraud to help protect the integrity of Medicare and Medicaid.”
Correction (December 4, 2014): In a previous version of this article, the photo we used mistakenly identified a chiropractor’s office on Bay 16th Street as the location of Cropsey Medical Care on 1706 Cropsey Avenue. We sincerely regret the mistake and have amended to the photo to reflect this correction.