SANTA ANA – A Brea man who used his rehabilitation clinics to submit millions of dollars in false Medicare claims was sentenced this week to more than a decade in federal prison, even as he awaits sentencing in a second health care fraud case.
U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, during a hearing at the federal courthouse in Santa Ana, ordered Simon Hong on Monday to spend 121 months behind bars and to pay nearly $3 million in restitution, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Hong, 55, was convicted last year of 19 felonies, including those for health care fraud, making illegal kickbacks and identity theft.
Authorities accused Hong, also known as Seong Wook Hong, of running the Medicare fraud scheme through several medical clinics he owned in Los Angeles County, including Hong’s Medical Management, CMH Practice Solution, and HK Practice and Solution.
In 2009-13, Hong and his associates received about $2.9 million in reimbursements, of which Hong was accused of pocketing about $1.6 million.
Authorities say that Hong recruited Medicare beneficiaries for massage and acupuncture treatments. Those type of services aren’t eligible for Medicare reimbursement, so prosecutors say Hong falsely claimed that the patients had received physical therapy.
Eight others, including two Buena Park men, a Fullerton man and two Irvine men, have admitted to their roles in the Medicare scheme and are serving 15 months to 51 months in federal lockup.
Last month, Hong also pleaded guilty to committing health care fraud in a separate scheme, which federal authorities say involved claims for occupational- and physical-therapy services that were not actually provided to patients. The Medicare losses in the second scheme are estimated at $2.4 million, according to the Department of Justice.
Hong is scheduled to be sentenced in the second scheme on March 6.
Contact the writer: semery@ocregister.com
