Mount Prospect doctor charged in kickback scheme

A Mount Prospect doctor is one of nine defendants charged in a Medicare fraud scheme.

Masood Syed, 53, is facing five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.

He is accused of accepting nearly $5,000 in kickbacks from the owners of a Skokie home health care agency in exchange for referring Medicare patients, federal prosecutors said.

In addition to Syed, those charged include Dr. Emmanuel Nwaokocha of Skokie, two owners of Rosner Home Healthcare, Inc., a former employee of the agency, the operator of a referral agency, an office manager at a doctor’s office and two home health care marketers.

Prosecutors allege the kickbacks have been ongoing since 2008.

Seven of the nine defendants were arrested in July and have been free on bond since that time, according to court papers.

Syed did not return calls seeking comment.