A St. Louis-area doctor, Dr. Sonny Saggar, was sentenced on Wednesday to nearly three years in federal prison for defrauding Medicare and Missouri Medicaid out of $742,528. The 57-year-old operated St. Louis General Hospital locations in downtown St. Louis and near Creve Coeur. Saggar was found guilty of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
From July 2018 to July 2023, Saggar hired assistant physicians (APs)—medical school graduates who had not completed their residency programs—to see patients at his clinics. However, he and his office manager, Renita Barringer, 51, falsely billed Medicare and Medicaid, pretending that Saggar himself provided the medical care.
Saggar and Barringer’s scheme involved hiring multiple APs without proper training or supervision. To make it appear as though they were properly supervised, they paid stipends to other doctors, falsely presenting the APs’ work as under proper medical oversight. This led to significant financial losses for both Medicare and Missouri Medicaid. Barringer pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy in December 2024 and is set for sentencing in April 2025.
The fraud was not only a financial crime but also put patients’ well-being at risk, according to FBI St. Louis Division Special Agent in Charge Ashley Johnson, who emphasized the dangers of unqualified medical professionals seeing patients without supervision.
