Stuart Physician Convicted of 23 Counts of Health Care Fraud

On February 15, 2019, a doctor who previously worked in Stuart, Florida, was convicted by a federal jury of committing repeated acts of health care fraud.

Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Shimon R. Richmond, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Miami Regional Office, George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, and Ashley B. Moody, Florida Attorney General, made the announcement.

Sheetal Kanar Kumar, M.D., 48, formerly of Stuart, Florida, was found guilty by a jury of committing twenty-three counts of health care fraud (Case No. 18-14063-CR-Marra).  Dr. Kumar is scheduled to be sentenced on April 19, 2019 at 10:00 a.m., by U.S. District Judge Kenneth A. Marra in Fort Pierce.

According to the court record, including evidence introduced at trial, Dr. Sheetal Kumar owned and operated the medical practice Advanced Healthcare for Women in Stuart, Florida.  Dr. Kumar was an obstetrician and gynecologist who treated incontinence.  From at least as early as January 2014, until July 2017, Dr. Kumar submitted or caused the fraudulent submissions of claims to Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance companies.  The fraudulent claims sought money for specific health care benefits, items, and services that were not provided as billed.  As a result of such false and fraudulent claims, Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance companies, made payments in the approximate amount of $637,000.

U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan commended the investigative efforts of HHS-OIG, FBI and Florida Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in this matter.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorneys Daniel E. Funk and Diana M. Acosta.