Michigan doc arrested for prescribing 5M doses of narcotics, $5.7M Medicare fraud

MONROE, Mich. (AP)  A Michigan doctor has been arrested, accused of prescribing more than 5 million doses of narcotics between 2008 and 2010 and fraudulently billing Medicare for more than $5.7 million.

Oscar Linares, 53, was arrested Wednesday after authorities searched his office in Monroe, the U.S. attorneys office in Detroit said. Hes charged in a criminal complaint with health care fraud and unlawfully distributing prescription drug controlled substances, including the painkiller Oxycontin.

This investigation and the arrest of Dr. Linares should serve as a warning to any medical professional, that if you unethically prescribe medication for personal gain, you will be prosecuted, Robert Corso, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administrations Detroit Field Division, said.

The phone system at Monroe Pain Center, where Linares worked, wouldnt accept voicemail messages Thursday morning.

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both.

During the search, law enforcement vehicles surrounded the Monroe Pain Center, where dozens of patients waited inside, The Monroe Evening News reported.

The complaint says Linares prescribed controlled substances for as many as 250 patients a day, paying bonuses to employees when the number exceeded 200. Authorities say he saw few of the patients, and had patients get medical tests without regard to their symptoms or medical conditions.

The government also claims that Linares was aware of some patients selling their prescriptions in the parking lot but didnt take steps to stop that.

Also Wednesday, authorities executed warrants to seize four bank accounts Linares used and seven luxury vehicles bought with money from the fraud, according to the government.

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