Neurosurgeon Lokesh Tantuwaya, MD, on Dec. 9 was sentenced to five years in prison for accepting $3.3 million in bribes — which he was also ordered to forfeit — to perform spine surgeries at the now-defunct Pacific Hospital in Long Beach, Calif., according to The Times of San Diego.
From 2010 to 2013, Dr. Tantuwaya accepted money from Michael Drobot, the former owner of Pacific Hospital, in exchange for him performing spine surgeries at the hospital, which violated the federal Anti-Kickback statute, according to the Justice Department. The bribe amount varied depending on the type of spine surgery.
Dr. Tantuwaya entered into contracts with Mr. Drobot and admitted that he knew or deliberately was ignorant that the payments were awarded to him in exchange for bringing spine surgeries to the hospital.
In September, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit fraud and to violating the federal Anti-Kickback statute, according to the report. The former surgeon has been in custody since May 2021 after violating the terms of his pretrial release.
Mr. Drobot is serving a five-year prison sentence for his scheme that paid physicians, chiropractors and marketers illegal kickbacks to refer workers' compensation patients to the hospital for spine surgeries. During its final five years, the scheme resulted in the submission of more than $500 million in medical bills for spine surgeries involving kickbacks, the Justice Department said.
Overall, 24 defendants have been convicted for participating in the kickback scheme, according to the Justice Department.