FRANKFORT, KY. (Feb. 23, 2016) – Attorney General Andy Beshear announced that Louisville chiropractor Dr. Devin Thauberger has pled guilty in federal court to two counts of health care fraud, four counts of obstruction of a criminal investigation and one count of tampering with a witness.
Dr. Thauberger, 46, was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office, Western District of Kentucky, after an investigation by the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control Unit, the FBI, and the OIG-HHS.
“Seeking personal gain from health care services never performed on your patients is very troubling,” Beshear said. “Like all the agencies involved, I take my role as Medicaid watchdog very seriously. My office is committed to protecting Kentucky families and children and holding anyone accountable whose actions defraud not only the government but the people government serves. I want to thank the federal and state agencies who are partnering on the Thauberger health care fraud case in Louisville and who helped reach a guilty plea today. I appreciate the investigators from my office’s Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Division for working on this case.”
Dr. Thauberger operated Thauberger Chiropractic P.S.C on Preston Highway in Louisville. Between 2009 to 2014, Dr. Thauberger submitted claims to various insurance companies, including Kentucky Medicaid, for services that were never provided. Some of the claims were submitted while Dr. Thauberger was out of the country and unable to perform the services.
After Dr. Thauberger learned of the health care fraud investigation, he contacted potential witnesses to persuade them to change their statements regarding the fraud being investigated. In addition, Dr. Thauberger attempted to alter patient records to conceal the fraud.
Dr. Thauberger’s office manager, Trisha Muir, was also investigated and prosecuted for her role in the fraud.
The plea agreement recommends a sentence of 41 months imprisonment and the repayment of restitution. Dr. Thauberger will be sentenced at a later date.
The Office of Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control has recovered or been awarded more than $2.8 million for the state Medicaid program under Beshear. These recoveries represent lawsuits and settlements from pharmaceutical companies and individual providers. The Attorney General’s tip line for reporting allegations of Medicaid Fraud is 1-877-228-7384.
