CAPE CORAL, FL— A Windermere chiropractor was sentenced to five years in federal prison on Wednesday for his role in a health care fraud scheme, prosecutors said.
Dr. Stephen M. Lovell, 55, was convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud after a two week trial in February. His sentence also included a financial judgment of $1.695 million.
Federal prosecutors alleged Lovell and other licensed health care practitioners posed as the owners of Xtreme Care Rehabilitation Center Inc. in Cape Coral. By claiming the business was owned exclusively by licensed practitioners, the actual owners avoided additional regulatory scrutiny.
The clinic also engaged in staged accidents, including submitting false insurance claims, prosecutors said. Insurance payouts from the bogus accidents were then laundered through corporations created by the conspirators, according to the federal government.
Two men identified as among the actual owners of the clinic pleaded guilty earlier this year and were also sentenced to federal prison.
Source: Orlando Sentinel