han the theft of taxpayer dollars. Many allege the theft of human dignity,  McDonald said at a news conference announcing this year's crackdown, which covers cases charged or unsealed since June 8.  Our sick, needy and elderly placing their faith in the gift of medicine were neglected, ignored and used for personal profit, 

The department says Finkelstein's case, with allegations not only of unrendered services but also poor medical performance that put patients at risk, represents the type of sophisticated scheme prosecutors are striving to disrupt.

A lawyer for Finkelstein, a Texas-based doctor who pleaded not guilty during a court appearance in Florida on Monday, did not return messages seeking comment.

The alleged fraud ran from 2019 through the end of last year and, prosecutors say, involved Finkelstein and a pair of unidentified co-conspirators at a Florida-based cardiovascular testing and treatment practice he owned and operated.

Officials say the scheme had multiple components, with Finkelstein and his company using what the indictment describes as deceptive marketing tactics to offer free heart screenings to students who did not need them, then certifying the results as normal without reviewing them, even when they revealed potential problems.

The indictment quotes Finkelstein as telling an unnamed co-conspirator with whom he worked that  (t)hese kids could be high risk ...(o)ne of them drops dead on a field, they're coming after both of us. 

Finkelstein's co-conspirators blasted out emails to athletic trainers at colleges and universities stating that the tests being offered could identify any life-threatening condition that could prevent the students from playing, and also offered kickbacks and other inducements to school officials to refer potential patients, according to the indictment.

Insurance companies do not cover blanket cardiovascular testing; instead, they require a prior finding of medical necessity. To avert that roadblock and secure reimbursement, prosecutors say, Finkelstein submitted to insurers phony diagnoses of conditions, such as elevated blood pressure and hypertension, that the athletes did not actually have.

His company relied on sonographers who lacked the requisite credentials to travel to college campuses to perform the tests, and because Finkelstein was licensed in the 48 contiguous states, he and his company were able to submit claims for patients across the country, the indictment says.

At the same time, prosecutors say, Finkelstein would certify cardiac test results as being normal without actually reviewing them. In one instance in 2024, according to the indictment, he signed off after roughly 11 seconds on approximately 63 test-result images for one patient. The test results actually revealed a significantly enlarged heart and the teenage patient later died on the basketball court, officials said.

 There is no way they could miss that, except they didn't care,  said Mehmet Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon by training and head of the Centers for Medicare   Medicaid Services.  This is not a diagnostic company. It's a predatory scheme dressed up in medical clothing and we're going to treat it as such.