An internal medicine doctor from Monmouth Junction, who practices in Staten Island, New York, was charged on Dec. 13 with allegedly accepting bribes in exchange for test referrals.
Ahmed El Soury, 44, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Newark, according to a statement provided by U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman.
The indictment charges El Soury with one count of conspiring to commit violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Federal Travel Act and wire fraud; three substantive violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute; three substantive violations of the Federal Travel Act; and three substantive violations of wire fraud, according to Fishman.
El Soury will be arraigned at a later date.
According to the indictment, between March 2011 and April 2013, El Soury allegedly received cash bribes totaling approximately $65,000 from Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services LLC (BLS) of Parsippany, its president and numerous associates.
In February 2012, El Soury allegedly solicited and received an increase in his monthly bribe payments for having persuaded another health care provider to refer patient blood samples to BLS, according to the statement. El Soury’s referrals generated approximately $650,000 in lab business for BLS.
The Anti-Kickback and Federal Travel Act counts are each punishable by a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison. The wire fraud charges are each punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison. Each count also carries a maximum $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.
El Soury is the third physician to be indicted in connection with the BLS bribery scheme. Brett Ostrager – who was indicted on Aug. 11, 2015, and pleaded guilty on Dec. 22, 2015, – was sentenced on June 8 to 37 months in prison. Bernard Greenspan was indicted on March 14 and is scheduled for trial on Jan. 31, 2017.
The investigation has thus far resulted in 41 guilty pleas – 27 of them from doctors – in connection with the bribery scheme, which its organizers have admitted involved millions of dollars in bribes and resulted in more than $100 million in payments to BLS from Medicare and various private insurance companies, according to the statement. It is believed to be the largest number of medical professionals ever prosecuted in a bribery case. The investigation has to date recovered more than $12 million through forfeiture.
On June 28, BLS, which is no longer operational, pleaded guilty and was required to forfeit all of its assets, Fishman said.