Scott Newcombe, a 41-year-old resident of Plattsburgh, New York, has been sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay $34,583.21 in restitution for committing health care fraud. The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Daniel Hanlon alongside Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the FBI, and Naomi Gruchacz, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) New York Regional Office.
Newcombe pleaded guilty to charges related to his role as office manager and health care claims biller for two physicians' practices in Plattsburgh through SJ Healthcare Management Services, LLC (SJHMS), a company he established. Between April 2020 and April 2023, SJHMS charged a fixed monthly fee for management, administrative, and billing services provided to these practices.
Newcombe admitted that he submitted false claims to public and private insurers on behalf of the practices. These included claims for services that were either never rendered or billed at higher rates than what was appropriate. He specifically acknowledged submitting fraudulent claims for medical procedures allegedly performed on him that did not occur.
The investigation into this case was conducted by the FBI and HHS-OIG. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael D. Gadarian and Adam J. Katz were responsible for prosecuting the case.
