FEDERAL PROSECUTORS SEEK TO DISMISS TODT HEALTH CARE FRAUD CHARGES

Federal prosecutors in Connecticut filed a motion Friday to dismiss a complaint of health care fraud against Anthony Todt, the Colchester physical therapist charged with killing his family in Florida.

U.S. Attorney John H. Durham and Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Sheldon moved to dismiss the complaint, which alleged Todt fraudulently submitted claims to Medicaid and private insurers between January 2015 and November 2019, while the state of Florida pursues criminal charges against Todt. He was charged in Florida in January 2020 with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of animal cruelty.

Todt was arrested at the home his family rented in Celebration, Fla., on Jan. 13, 2020. He allegedly confessed to killing his wife, three children and family dog, according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.

He has since pleaded not guilty to the Florida charges. He appeared in court virtually Wednesday and his trial was set to begin Sept. 27.

The federal government moved to dismiss the complaint without prejudice “so that the criminal case in the State of Florida may proceed expeditiously and without undue concern or complications related to the federal complaint.”

The government alleges in an affidavit that Todt committed health care fraud for years with flagrant disregard for regulations governing claims to Connecticut Medicaid and private insurance companies.

The affidavit also sheds light on his private life and extensive financial troubles. Public records show that the Todts and their businesses owed almost $100,000 in loans and were being evicted from their home at the time of Tony’s arrest.

The government may still pursue the charges at a later date, the motion said.

Todt is scheduled for a pretrial hearing in Osceola County, Florida on Sept. 15.

For more information on this case, listen to “Looking for the Todt Family,” a new podcast from The Day.