An Amtrak employee has admitted to participating in a scheme to defraud the company's health care plan, as announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna. Anthony Saloka, 44, from Elizabeth, New Jersey, pleaded guilty in Newark federal court before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo. He was charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
The case documents and court statements reveal that from January 2019 through June 2022, Saloka and his co-conspirators engaged in a scheme involving cash kickbacks from health care providers. These kickbacks were in exchange for using personal and insurance information to submit fraudulent claims for services that were either not provided or medically unnecessary. Saloka received thousands of dollars from this arrangement, including payments from acupuncturist Punson Figueroa and podiatrist Michael DeNicola.
Figueroa had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and was sentenced on September 24, 2024, to 34 months in prison. DeNicola also pleaded guilty on June 29, 2022, but his sentencing is still pending.
The fraudulent claims resulted in the Amtrak health care plan paying over $11 million. The charge of conspiracy to commit health care fraud carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.
Saloka's sentencing is set for June 4, 2025. The investigation leading to the guilty plea involved special agents from various agencies including the Amtrak Office of Inspector General under Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Waters, the Amtrak Police Department led by Chief Samuel Dotson, and the Drug Enforcement Administration under Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica R. Ecker and Katherine M. Romano are representing the government in this case.
Defense counsel for Saloka is Vincent LaPaglia, Esq.
