Michigan doctors accused in $464M opioid scheme

named in the indictment are Eric Backos, 65; Ganiu Edu, 50; David Lewis, 41; Six Michigan doctors have Christopher Russo, 50; and been charged with insur- Ronald Kufner, 68. ance fraud and unnecesFrom early 2013 until last sarily prescribing opioids month, the doctors issued to patients in a $464 million 13.2 million doses of popuscheme, according to court lar opioids, including Oxydocuments filed this week Contin, Percocet, Vicodin by federal prosecutors. and Dilaudid, according to

The 56-count indictment, the indictment. They also filed Tuesday and made performed unnecessary public Thursday, named medical services like magDr. Rajendra Bothra, 77, netic resonance imaging of Bloomfield Hills, who on patients. Other charges owned and operated Pain included billing insurance Center USA in Warren and companies $975 for braces Eastpointe, Michigan, and and $2,400 for anesthesia. the Interventional Pain CenProsecutors said the doctors ter in Warren. The other five submitted claims of $182.5 doctors were employed by million to Medicare, $272.6 the clinics, which catered million to Medicaid and $9.2 to patients with joint and million to Blue Cross Blue spinal injuries. Shield of Michigan.

As part of the scheme, “The damage that opiBothra “sought to bill oid distribution has done insurance companies for to our community and to the maximum number of the United States as a whole services and procedures has been devastating,” Matpossible with no regard thew Schneider, the U.S. to the patients’ needs,” attorney for the Eastern the U.S. attorney’s office District of Michigan, said in for the Eastern District of the prosecutors’ statement. Michigan, which filed the “Health care professionals charges, said in a statement who prey on patients who Thursday. are addicted to opioids in

Jeffrey Crapko, a lawyer order to line their pockets for Bothra, declined to comis particularly egregious.” ment on the case. An afterThe case in Michigan was hours operator at the Pain jointly investigated by the Center USA said federal Department of Health and authorities had raided and Human Services, the Office closed the offices. of Inspector General and

The doctors have been the FBI, as well as other charged with submitting agencies. false claims to Medicare, In October 2017, President Medicaid and Blue Cross Donald Trump announced Blue Shield and diverting that his administration was the proceeds to themselves, declaring the opioid crisis a the indictment said. national public health emer

According to the Pain gency. According to recent Center U S A’ s website, figures from the Centers for Bothra is a surgeon who Disease Control and Prehas practiced in Warren vention, 70,237 Americans for 30 years and has spedied from drug overdoses cialized in pain managein 2017, a record. ment for the past five years.

The five other doctors who worked with him and are