Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
An Alabama-based doctor, Tommie Robinson, was sentenced on March 20 in federal court in Boston for his role in a $2.7 million telemedicine health care fraud scheme involving medically unnecessary durable medical equipment and genetic testing.
The case highlights ongoing concerns about fraudulent practices targeting Medicare and the misuse of telemedicine services. Prosecutors said the scheme led to millions of dollars in false claims being submitted to Medicare, ultimately costing taxpayers and undermining trust in healthcare systems.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Robinson, age 44, received a sentence of 16 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay more than $2.7 million in restitution after pleading guilty to one count of health care fraud last October. The charges stemmed from actions between December 2018 and March 2021 when Robinson worked with telemedicine companies to sign pre-populated medical documentation based on telemarketing calls made to Medicare beneficiaries.
Prosecutors said that Robinson generally did not contact the beneficiaries himself nor establish any provider-patient relationship with them before signing orders for durable medical equipment or genetic testing intended primarily for detecting cancer risk factors. DME suppliers and laboratories then used these signed documents to submit claims totaling over $2.7 million for medically unnecessary services based on false documentation.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the sentencing along with several federal law enforcement officials involved in investigating the case: Robert Coviello from Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General; Ted E. Docks from the Federal Bureau of Investigations' Boston Division; Jason Buckley from U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division; Anthony D’Esposito from Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General; and Christopher Silvestro from Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s Northeast Field Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexandra Brazier and Lindsey Ross prosecuted the case as part of efforts by federal authorities to combat health care fraud schemes involving government programs.
