Friday, Aug. 5, 2005 | 9:57 a.m.
A Las Vegas podiatrist was sentenced Thursday to 33 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release for Medicare billing fraud for surgeries not performed and services not delivered.
U.S. District Judge Kent J. Dawson handed down the sentence against Nick T. Nguyen, 40, a licensed Nevada podiatrist with an office at 3009 W. Charleston Blvd., said Daniel G. Bogden, U.S. attorney for Nevada.
Nguyen was convicted by a jury in March of 67 counts of health care fraud after jurors found that he had fraudulently billed Medicare for ingrown toenail surgeries for 16 patients.
To conceal the scheme, Nguyen listed fake diagnostic codes on Medicare claim forms and falsified progress notes in order to receive reimbursements from Medicare, prosecutors said. Nguyen also waived co-payments and charged his cash customers significantly lower prices than he billed Medicare, the U.S. Attorney's office said.
Nguygen is free on bail until his Oct. 4 surrender date.
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