A pair of Marietta chiropractors are accused of running a three-year health care fraud scheme that involved a group of international students studying in metro Atlanta.
Doctors Allan Spagnardi, 38, and Stacy Spagnardi, 50, appeared before a federal judge Wednesday for their nearly 20 fraud charges.
“The Spagnardis allegedly submitted numerous fraudulent claims to private insurance providers for procedures that never took place,” federal prosecutors said in a news release.
Between January 2013 and September 2016, the pair defraud insurers of millions of dollars.
Prosecutors said he used the money to buy a BMW motorcycle and a 2015 BMW M4, and she spent the money in casinos.
“The Spagnardis’ greed and want of a lavish lifestyle led them to commit healthcare fraud and we will continue to support investigative efforts to deter such actions,” said James Dorsey with the IRS’ criminal investigation division.
The only private insurer mentioned by name in an indictment document is Aetna, which covered a group of Saudi Arabian students studying in metro Atlanta.
According to the indictment, the plans these students had through the embassy covered 100 percent of their chiropractic expenses, so the doctors would get their personal information and continue to bill the insurers for visits that hadn’t happened.
On May, 2, 2014, the clinic billed insurers for 113 patient visits, the indictment said.
The Spagnardis allegedly claimed their clinic had 296 visits during a week that they were actually on a Royal Caribbean cruise.
The indictment said they ran their clinic under several names: Atlanta Pain Management, Metro Healthcare Solutions, Health Management Services ATL and Georgia Pain Management Group.
Their next court date was not listed online.
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