Ex-Rockford weight-loss doctor still on run after 13 years
It’s been more than a dozen years since Rockford’s Dr. Gautam Gupta was placed on the FBI’s most-wanted list, and the doctor’s exact whereabouts remain a mystery.
Authorities believe Gupta is currently residing in India.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s website, Gupta is among 133 individuals wanted for health care fraud, abuse or child support obligations.
Gupta, 69, is a former Rockford-area weight loss doctor. Gupta disappeared in 2011 and is facing multiple counts of fraud involving his business, The Nutrition Clinic, which had locations in Rockford, South Beloit, Naperville, Arlington
Heights, and Chicago.
According to the Inspector General’s website, Gupta allegedly defrauded the federal government out of $9 million.
Gupta allegedly defrauded government and private insurers, as well as patients, out of a total of almost $25 million from unwarranted medical tests and false billings for doctor visits. The majority of the fraudulent claims were for those enrolled in Medicaid and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, according to allegations.
“The alleged fraudulent claims include payment for testing that was not medically necessary, including extensive blood screenings, echocardiograms, thyroid ultrasounds, and nuclear stress tests,” the United States Attorney’s Office said in a release.
Gupta
Authorities further allege that from 2003 through 2010, several patients were provided with controlled substances intended for weight loss and were given tests by unqualified staff, as directed by Gupta.
Business ventures
In addition to his business and a family that included a wife and two young daughters, Gupta left millions in Rockford-area real estate holdings behind.
When he fled in July 2011, property he owned included his North Mulford Road clinic, 519 E. State St., which housed the Irish Rose Saloon, 128 N. Church St., home of The Rock River Times newspaper, and several downtown commercial buildings that have since been sold and redeveloped. His 5,500-square foot home at 1660 N. Mulford Road was seized by the government.
One of the biggest assets Gupta acquired during his time in Rockford was 51% of longtime manufacturing company Roper Whitney, which has been operating at 2833 Huffman Blvd. since 1910. In 2004, Gupta used the company as collateral to secure $4 million in loans, cash authorities say he used for various ventures.
Because Gupta still owned $3.8 million on the Roper Whitney loans when he disappeared, a court allowed Fifth Third Bank to seize the company. Roper Whitney, which makes sheet metal fabricating tools and machinery, was then sold at auction to Tennsmith Inc., an automotive manufacturer based in McMinnville, Tennessee.
Gupta also owned rural property in Winnebago and Stephenson counties at the time of his disappearance,
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according to records.
Gupta’s 2011 indictment was not his first brush with authorities. In 2009, the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission accused him of insider trading. The commission charged him with using illegal information to purchase $1 million in Georgia-Pacific stock, stock he sold for a profit of $690,000 when the company was acquired by Koch Industries. He was ordered to repay the profits and pay a civil penalty of more than $600,000.
In 1999, Gupta’s controlled substance license was suspended by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation for “failing to properly apprise several female patients of the procedures required in completing heart-lung examinations.”
On the run
Authorities say Gupta could be living in India, his country of origin. The FBI reports that he also has ties to Los Angeles, London, England; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Canada; Estonia and Finland.
Extradition treaties with India, England, Canada,
Estonia and Finland could see Gupta returned to the United States to face charges if he’s captured in one of those countries.
Gupta is charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, seven counts of mail fraud and health care fraud. Each count of mail fraud carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Health care fraud is a felony with a maximum term of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Gupta faces up to five years for conspiracy to commit fraud.
Jim Hagerty writes about business, growth and development and other general news topics for the Rockford Register Star. Email him at jhagerty@gannett.com.