Indian doctor sent to 2 yrs in jail for healthcare fraud in US

An Indian doctor has been sentenced to over two years in prison for submitting false medical insurance claims for services that he had not provided. Amar Nath Bhandary, 53, from Oklahoma was sentenced to 30 months in prison, followed by three years supervised release and a USD 20,000 fine

u00a0US Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma Sanford Coats said in a statement. Bhandary has also been ordered to pay restitution to Medicare and forfeit some property.

A case was filed against him in May this year alleging that Bhandary engaged in healthcare fraud in 2008 by submitting false claims to Medicare for services that he had not provided. Bhandary, a psychiatrist, was licensed to practice medicine in Oklahoma.

He was also indicted in March last year by a federal grand jury in a 53-count indictment alleging illegal distribution of controlled substances. The indictment also alleged that Bhandary distributed various controlled drugs to eight separate individuals illegally in 2008 and 2009.

The complaint said five of these individuals died from drug toxicity. In April this year, a jury trial was held in Oklahoma City federal court. However, the jury was unable to reach a verdict.