Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York | Department of Justice
A Brooklyn cardiologist, Niranjan Mittal, was sentenced to 37 months in prison for his involvement in a health care fraud and bribery scheme. The sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams following Mittal's guilty plea in February 2025 to violating the Anti-Kickback Statute.
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, commented on the case: “At the core of our healthcare system is patient-doctor trust. Mittal abused that trust, turning his offices into ‘patient mills’ and subjecting trusting patients to procedures they did not need. Today’s sentence sends a deterrent message to doctors and the healthcare industry: if you abuse patient trust for profit, you will face justice.”
Court documents revealed that since at least 2016, Mittal operated a medical clinic in Brooklyn with many patients insured by government health programs and often of limited economic means. To maintain a steady stream of new patients, Mittal paid other providers under purported office space leases; however, these payments were actually intended as inducements for patient referrals. Staff from Mittal’s clinic would visit these providers’ offices to conduct basic tests on referred patients and encourage them to attend further appointments at his Brooklyn clinic.
Patients who arrived at the clinic often underwent diagnostic tests and follow-up visits not based on their actual medical needs. According to court records, these actions were directed by Mittal or others acting on his instructions to justify unnecessary peripheral vascular interventional procedures—surgeries meant to address alleged blockages in leg blood vessels. Documentation was fabricated regarding patient symptoms so that false patterns would not be detected.
As a result of this scheme, many patients—already in poor health—underwent repeated vascular interventions without seeing improvement in their conditions. Some individuals received ten or more such procedures over several years. From 2016 through 2023, insurers paid over $40 million to Mittal’s practice for claims involving improperly referred patients.
In addition to his prison sentence, Mittal was ordered to serve two years of supervised release and must forfeit proceeds traceable to his offense.
U.S. Attorney Clayton commended investigative work performed by agencies including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations division, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations.
The case prosecution was managed by the Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit within the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick R. Moroney, Matthew Weinberg, Ryan B. Finkel, and Brandon C. Thompson led the effort.
