Buffalo Grove doctor, chiropractor charged with fraud
A chiropractor and a physician with offices in Buffalo Grove, their billing manager and three purported patients have been indicted on federal charges alleging they played a part in a $2.98 million health care fraud scheme, authorities said Monday.
According to the U.S. attorney's office, the defendants schemed over the course of a decade to obtain health insurance payments from various private insurers for patient services that were never rendered.
The chiropractor, Igor Sher, and the physician, Eguert Nagaj, operated North Suburban Chiropractic Clinic Ltd., Advanced Arlington Medical Center Ltd., and Advanced Arlington Sports Medicine Center Ltd., at 329 and 333 West Dundee Road in Buffalo Grove. A third defendant, Igor Filatov, was the billing manager for all three practices.
The indictment also seeks forfeiture of about $2.98 million, four automobiles and five residences in Palatine, Vernon HIlls, and Love Grove, belonging to defendants Sher, Nagaj or Filatov.
Sher, 42, of Palatine, Nagaj, 48, of Buffalo Grove, and Filatov, 61, of Wheeling, face 16 counts of mail fraud, as well as one count of obstruction of justice against Sher and one count of making false statements against Filatov.
Filatov, who also purported to be a patient, and Dimitri Konovolov, 48, of Wheeling, Maricela Hernandez, 35, of Arlington Heights,and Vera Smolyansky, 53, of Wheeling and others allowed their insurance information to be used by Sher and Nagaj to submit false claims for reimbursement, authorities allege.
Konovolov, Hernandez and Smolyansky were each charged with one count of mail fraud and one count of perjury.
An indictment represents a charge, not a conviction; defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. If there are convictions, mail fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and as much as $250,000 in fines on each county, obstruction of justice carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, the false statements and perjury counts carry maximum penalties of five years in prison and as much as $250,000 in fines.