Dr. Linh Cao Nguyen, a 51-year-old Peoria doctor, was sentenced to two years in prison in Tucson for orchestrating a massive health care fraud scheme, defrauding several health care programs including Medicare, TRICARE, AHCCCS, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and UnitedHealthcare. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona announced the sentencing following Nguyen’s guilty plea to health care fraud on March 19, 2024.
Details of the Fraud Scheme
Nguyen submitted thousands of fraudulent billing claims, forging patient records to hide his actions. He falsely claimed that a licensed medical doctor was providing care when, in reality, other unlicensed or underqualified providers such as nurse practitioners, social workers, psychology interns, or wound care nurses were responsible for the services.
Additionally, Nguyen billed these services at inflated prices, greatly overcharging the insurance programs involved. The total amount defrauded from various insurers reached approximately $3.7 million.
Restitution and Civil Penalties
As part of his sentencing, Nguyen was ordered to pay over $1.1 million in restitution to several insurance companies affected by the fraud. In a separate civil agreement, he was also required to pay more than $2.5 million to the government.
The investigation was led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, the FBI, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.
