Township-Based Cardiologist Admits To Defrauding Veterans Administration

A township-based cardiologist faces 10 years in prison and more than $700,000 in restitution and settlements after pleading guilty to charging the Veterans Administration for hundreds of procedures that were never completed.

Dr. Apostolos Voudouris – whose main practice is in Jersey City but who provided services to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in East Orange – pleaded guilty to a charge of health care fraud Aug. 16 before U.S. District Judge William Walls, sitting in Newark, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

According to the release, Voudouris admitted that on more than 350 occasions between 2011 and 2015, he submitted claims to the VA for procedures that he did not perform, receiving $238,230 from the VA.

Voudouris began providing services to the VA hospital in East Orange in 2006, according to an information filed by the federal government. An information is a formal criminal charge filed by the government when the defendant pleads guilty.

As part of his plea agreement, Voudouris must pay back the $238,230 he fraudulently obtained from the VA, as well as a $476,460 civil settlement, according to the press release.

Sentencing on the plea is set for Dec. 12, at which time Voudouris faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, according to the release.

Your Thoughts

comments