Mark Sorensen was found guilty, by a federal jury, of one count of conspiracy and three counts of payment of illegal kickbacks. Sorensen, along with 52 additional individuals, was indicted in September 2019 as part of a Midwest health care fraud enforcement action.
Sorensen was the owner of Symed—a durable medical equipment (DME) pharmacy located in Chicago, Illinois. According to the Department of Justice, Sorensen and Symed’s former Vice President of Finance, Paulina Goncharova, engaged in a scheme where they paid kickbacks for illegitimate doctors’ prescriptions and false business records. Evidence at trial showed that Sorensen specifically bought patient leads from Bernie Perconti, Christine Anderson, and Craig O’Neil. In turn, Symed billed Medicare for approximately $87 million between April 2015 and April 2018, and Symed was paid approximately $25 million for their fraudulent DME claims.
Sorensen now faces up to 20 years in federal prison. Sorensen’s co-conspirators all previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks, and they are also awaiting sentencing. The foregoing convictions are credited to the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, which has charged over 4,200 defendants since its inception in 2007.
The attorneys at Chilivis Grubman represent clients of all types and sizes in connection to health care fraud and government investigations. If you need assistance with such a matter, please contact us today.