U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark sentenced Dr. Sonny Saggar to 35 months in prison for defrauding Medicare and Missouri Medicaid. The St. Louis area doctor, who operated two urgent care centers, was also ordered to repay $742,528.
Dr. Saggar, aged 57, will be on supervised release for three years following his prison term. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy in August at the U.S. District Court in St. Louis.
While running St. Louis General Hospital locations in downtown St. Louis and near Creve Coeur, Dr. Saggar and his office manager hired assistant physicians (APs) to see patients but billed Medicare and Missouri Medicaid as if he had seen them himself, even when he was not present.
Assistant physicians are medical school graduates who have not completed a residency program and require supervision by a licensed physician under written collaborative practice arrangements (CPAs). These arrangements restrict their ability to provide medical services independently.
Dr. Saggar admitted hiring numerous APs from July 2018 to July 2023 without proper training or supervision and encouraged them to consult each other on medical questions instead of consulting a licensed physician directly.
To circumvent regulations that limit one physician from supervising more than six APs, Dr. Saggar offered stipends up to $480 per month to various physicians for signing up as collaborating physicians on paper only.
He submitted CPA forms falsely indicating proper supervision of APs at the Missouri Board of Registration for the Healing Arts.
In January 2022, Dr. Saggar hired an indicted doctor as the sole collaborating physician at the Creve Coeur location without disclosing this information to Medicaid despite knowing that this doctor's billing privileges with Medicaid were suspended.
Special Agent Linda T. Hanley stated: "Today's sentencing underscores our commitment to ensuring that providers are held accountable for submitting fraudulent claims for financial gain and for deliberately concealing critical information about healthcare professionals."
Special Agent Ashley Johnson remarked: “This crime went beyond bilking taxpayer-funded healthcare programs... Dr. Sonny Saggar risked the well-being of patients with urgent medical needs.”
DEA Special Agent Michael Davis commented: “Our investigation shows that Dr. Saggar broke with protocol and endangered lives with his negligence.”
Renita Barringer, aged 51, pleaded guilty in December to one count of conspiracy and is scheduled for sentencing on April 22.
The case was investigated by several agencies including the U.S Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Missouri Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit with Assistant U.S Attorney Amy Sestric prosecuting.
