Grand Rapids, Michigan – July 17, 2007 – Rosemary Pushies, D.C., was sentenced in federal court on July 12, 2007, to six months in prison on a charge of health care fraud, according to U.S. Attorney Charles R. Gross. Dr. Pushies, a chiropractor in Fowlerville, Michigan, entered a plea of guilty on March 30, 2007, to a felony information alleging that she fraudulently billed health care insurers for chiropractic services which were never provided. In a written plea agreement Dr. Pushies agreed to reimburse private insurers and Medicare for the fraudulent charges – a total of $144,633.04 – which she did before the date of sentencing.

Chief United States District Judge Robert Holmes Bell also sentenced Dr. Pushies to two years of supervised release following her release from prison and a $5,000.00 fine. In imposing sentence, Chief Judge Bell noted Dr. Pushies extensive community service and prompt repayment of restitution but stated that a short federal prison sentence was still warranted to deter others from committing health care fraud.

The prosecution of this case resulted from a joint investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The investigation team included FBI Special Agent Chris Kleinpaste and HHS Special Agent Darren Bartnick.

Mr. Gross noted that “investigating and prosecuting health care fraud remains a priority of our office. Fraud against the Medicare and private health insurance systems adversely affects the cost and availability of health care for all citizens. As this matter demonstrates, we intend to vigorously pursue cases that undermine the integrity of those systems.”

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ray Beckering.

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