Middle Village M.D. Pleads To Insurance Fraud Charge

A Middle Village physician charged with falsely billing insurance carriers for costly medical tests that he never provided has pleaded guilty, it was announced.

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown identified the defendant as Alexander Israeli, 57, of Dry Harbor Road in Middle Village, and who practiced at L&B Medical, located at 153-25 Hillside Avenue in Jamaica. The defendant pleaded guilty on Monday, Feb. 2 to fourth-degree insurance fraud before Queens Supreme Court Justice Gregory L. Lasak in satisfaction of the charges pending against him. Justice Lask set sentencing for Feb. 25, at which time he indicated that he would sentence the defendant to a three-year conditional discharge.

Israeli is the second doctor charged with insurance fraud stemming from the same Queens clinic.

District Attorney Brown said, "No-fault fraud and abuse is a billion dollar a year business in New York fueled by unethical health care professionals. Such rip-offs are costing the typical New York motorist $300 to $400 a year in higher insurance premiums and are the major reason why New York's automobile insurance coverage costs an average of nearly $2,000 per driver, the second highest in the nation. [The] guilty plea sends a clear message to those who are attempting to use the system for their own personal gain that law enforcement's fight against insur- ance fraud is ongoing and that those who cheat will be sought out and brought to justice."

Brown noted that under New York's no-fault law, a person injured in a motor vehicle accident can receive up to $50,000 coverage for medical expenses incurred as a result of an accident. Most health providers are reimbursed directly by the insurance carriers for services provided.

According to Brown, the defendant was charged with submitting insurance claims for costly nerve conduction studies (NCVs) and needle electromyographs (EMGs) between January and December 2006 that, in fact, were not performed on seven individuals. A NCV tests the flow of electrical currents across the nerves, and an EMG is a recording of the electrical activity in muscles and nerves. As a result of the false claims, insurance companies paid out more than $21,000 to the defendant's employer- the medical clinic.

District Attorney Brown said that, as a result of the defendant pleading guilty to a felony, the New York State Department of Health's Office of Professional Medical Conduct will commence action to revoke his license to practice medicine in New York State.

Among the insurance companies victimized by the defendant's scheme were GMAC Insurance Company, Kemper Auto and Home Insurance, Allstate Insurance Company and GEICO Insurance.

District Attorney Brown added that a second physician who also practices at L&B Medical- Dr. Yakov Raufov- was charged on May 22, 2007, with third- and fourthdegree grand larceny, third- and fourth-degree insurance fraud and first-degree falsifying business records. He is scheduled to stand trial on Mar. 9. Raufov, 43, of Glen Cove, Long Island, faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.

Assistant District Attorney Robert E. Miller, of the District Attorney's Organized Crime and Rackets Bureau, prosecuted the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Gerard A. Brave, Bureau Chief, Mark Katz, Deputy Chief, and Mary M. Lowenburg, Chief of the Auto Crime and Insurance Fraud Unit, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Peter A. Crusco and Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigation Linda M. Cantoni.