Queens doctor convicted in $24M medicare fraud scheme

Dr. Alexander Baldonado, a 69-year-old Filipino American physician from Queens, New York, was convicted by a federal jury for his role in a $24 million Medicare fraud scheme involving unnecessary laboratory tests and orthotic braces, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Baldonado received tens of thousands of dollars in illegal kickbacks in exchange for authorizing expensive cancer genetic tests that were billed to Medicare without medical necessity.

As described by the DOJ, Baldonado ordered cancer genetic tests for Medicare beneficiaries who attended COVID-19 testing events at assisted living facilities, adult day care centers, and a retirement community in 2020—despite never treating or examining many of the patients. “Baldonado was not treating any of the patients who attended the testing events and, in many cases, did not speak to or examine the patients prior to ordering cancer genetic tests,” the DOJ stated.

An undercover video presented as evidence during the trial showed Baldonado accepting cash in exchange for signing prescriptions for orthotic braces, according to the USA Inquirer. Medicare paid over $2.1 million to laboratories and durable medical equipment suppliers involved in the scheme, the DOJ confirmed.

Baldonado was found guilty of multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, and solicitation of health care kickbacks. Following his conviction, he was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 26 and faces up to 10 years in prison for each count of healthcare fraud and five years for conspiracy charges.