11 Indicted for Phony Accidents and Injuries

FROM A PRESS RELEASE:

Manhattan District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau announced today the indictment of 11 persons for operating a fraudulent "medical mill" that bilked insurance companies of more than $6.2 million. Among the defendants, charged in an 84-count indictment with Enterprise Corruption and other criminal offenses, are three medical doctors, a chiropractor, two acupuncturists, and 10 corporations. Two other people who assisted in the criminal affairs of the enterprise have been charged in separate indictments.

The enterprise charged in the indictment used so-called "runners" to stage phony motor vehicle accidents and bring ostensibly injured parties to a clinic at 1090 St. Nicholas Avenue in Manhattan. Services at the clinic were provided by medical doctors and other healthcare professionals, who were part of the enterprise. In the case of staged accidents, there were no actual injuries to treat, but the medical providers prescribed unnecessary treatments, procedures and medical equipment, falsified medical records and other documents and submitted false claims to insurance companies. In some instances, the services billed for were provided only in part or not provided at all. The enterprise followed the same fraudulent practices with persons who came into the clinic with injuries from real accidents, billing insurers for treatment or equipment that either was unnecessary or was not actually provided.

At the top of the criminal enterprise’s hierarchy was GREGORY VINARSKY and the companies he incorporated. VINARSKY paid the "runners" to stage car accidents and bring uninjured passengers to the enterprise’s clinic. VINARSKY was not a licensed physician and for that reason could not legally exercise control over the clinic. However, he did exercise control and directed the medical providers to prescribe unnecessary tests, procedures, durable medical equipment and other medically unnecessary courses of treatment. Further VINARSKY used his four companies, VIGAR MANAGEMENT CO., INC., UPPERSIDE MGT. CO., INC., SAINT NICHOLAS AVE. REALTY, INC. and REVICK REALTY, INC., and their bank accounts, to conceal his operation and control of the professional corporations and to launder the proceeds of the criminal scheme. More than $3.5 million of the insurance proceeds illegally taken in by the enterprise was traced to VINARSKY and his four companies.

The next tier of the criminal enterprise included medical doctors, other licensed healthcare providers, and the professional corporations they used to conduct business. All the providers worked out of the St. Nicholas Avenue clinic. Among them were ARON GOLDMAN, a medical doctor, and his professional corporation, SAINT NICHOLAS AV. MEDICAL CARE, P.C.; CHANTAL HILAIRE, a medical doctor; MATTHEW KESCHNER, a chiropractor, and his two professional corporations, MATTHEW G. KESCHNER, D.C., P.C. and CHIROPRACTIC SPECIALTIES OF NEW YORK, LLC; YAKOV BLETNITSKIY, an acupuncturist, and his professional corporation, ORIENT ACUPUNCTURE SERVICE, P.C.; YING MU, an acupuncturist; and ROMAN TABAKMAN, a medical doctor, and his professional corporations, EAST SIDE NEURO DIAGNOSTICS, P.C. and ROMAN MEDICAL SERVICES, P.C.

According to the indictment, the health care providers, GOLDMAN, HILAIRE, KESCHNER, BLETNITSKIY, MU, and TABAKMAN, all falsified medical reports, patient evaluations, and other documents for submission to insurance carriers in support of fraudulent claims for reimbursement, and they routinely prescribed unnecessary tests, procedures, durable medical equipment, and other medically unnecessary courses of treatment to facilitate the criminal scheme. GOLDMAN, KESCHNER, BLETNITSKIY, and TABAKMAN also used their professional corporations and their bank accounts to launder the proceeds of the group’s criminal scheme and to conceal VINARSKY’S unlawful control of the professional corporations.

The next tier of the enterprise comprised clinic employees responsible for administration of the medical clinic, communication with patients, transportation of patients, and preparation of documents and billing for submission to insurance carriers. It is alleged that NIDIA CORADIN, who was the front desk manager at the clinic, solicited patients, paid runners who brought uninjured passengers to the clinic for treatment, falsified prescriptions and other medical documents, and directed patients to falsify no-fault insurance applications, receipts for durable medical equipment, and other documents. This tier also included clinic employees who acted as technicians and performed medical tests and procedures, such as biofeedback, electrocardiograms, and nerve conduction studies. NIRMALEE MARRERO, TABAKMAN’S technical assistant, falsified medical reports and other documents for submission to insurance carriers, and NATALIA NEVEROVA, administered bogus biofeedback procedures to patients, thereby enabling members of the enterprise to submit falsified medical reports and other documents to facilitate the group’s criminal scheme.

The fourth tier was made up of runners, including CORADIN and ELEUTERIO SUERO. The indictment charges that ELEUTERIO SUERO, who was paid to stage car accidents and bring uninjured passengers to the clinic, forced another runner, at gun point, to stage an accident.

Defendant Information:

GREGORY VINARSKY a/k/a Gary Vinarsky, DOB: 3/29/46
176 E. 71st St., 6D
New York, NY 10021

ARON GOLDMAN, DOB: 8/26/51
1621 3rd Ave., 4A
New York, NY 10021

CHANTAL HILAIRE, DOB: 5/27/62
15 Melton E. Drive
Rockville Center, NY 11570

MATTHEW KESCHNER, DOB: 10/15/72
240 E. 86th St., 5E
New York, NY 10028

YAKOV BLETNITSKIY, DOB: 6/13/95
150 E 61st St., 6E
New York, NY 10065

YING MU, DOB: 6/25/35
61-56 Austin St.
Rego Park, NY 11374

ROMAN TABAKMAN, DOB: 8/9/55
409 Center Street
Fort Lee, NJ

NIRMALEE MARRERO, DOB: 5/24/75
1150 St. Lawrence Ave., B
Bronx, NY 10472

NATALIA NEVEROVA, DOB: 7/3/74
2926 Brighton place
Brooklyn, NY 11235

NIDIA CORADIN, DOB: 8/22/69
1504 Amsterdam Ave., 3A
New York, NY 10031

ELEUTERIO SUERO, a/k/a Tim, a/k/a Jose, DOB: 9/9/77
601 W. 185th St.
New York, NY 11230

MARGARET DEJESUS, DOB: 7/14/68
638 Underhill Ave., 2
Bronx, NY 10473

MARGARITA SERPER, DOB: 1/16/64
5 Pasture Lane
Roslyn Heights, NY 11577

Commentary:  So there were two different, overlapping schemes. One with phony accidents and pretend injuries, and a second with actual accidents and exaggerated or pretend injuries.

Apparently a "runner" alerted cops to the scheme. Then undercover officers posed as runners and pretended to join in the corruption.

Of course there had to be lawyers in on this too. Just wait and see if I’m right. Betcha there are attorney arrests to follow.

My condolences to any patients with a legitimate case and injury that treated at the St. Nicholas Avenue facility. Their medical records are in the prosecutor’s office; their doctors unavailable to testify at trial, and may be going to jail; and their cases ruined because the clinic that treated them is known to be crooked. For more on this, see my FREE book, "Good Lawyers Don’t Call You First."

From:  New York attorney Gary E. Rosenberg (personal injury and accident attorney and lawyer; serving Brooklyn Queens Bronx)