A Rancho Mirage cosmetic surgeon pleaded guilty Friday in a multi-million dollar scheme to defraud health insurance companies by billing them for boob jobs and tummy tucks, falsely claiming they were medically necessary.
Dr. David M. Morrow, 71, owner of the Morrow Institute, submitted bills for more than $3.4 million for the cosmetic procedures, reports KESQ.
“Dr. Morrow enriched himself by cheating policy holders and victim companies whose employees and ability to continue operating were placed in jeopardy as a result of this fraud,” David Bowdich of the FBI told the news channel.
Morrow, according to the U.S. Attorney, made up fake test results and symptoms as part of the scheme. Tummy tucks were billed as hernia repair, nose jobs as a deviated septum, and boob jobs as “tuberous breast deformity”, according to the Desert Sun . Patients were then told that insurance companies would pay for their procedures.
In the plea agreement, Morrow admitted that he, “participated in a scheme to obtain money from insurance companies by false or fraudulent pretenses, which included submitting altered documents to the insurance companies.”
Morrow also pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return for 2008 and failing to disclose $1.6 million in income in 2008 and 2009.
As part of his plea deal, Morrow has agreed to pay full restitution to the victims and faces up to 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and three years for filing the false tax return. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 23. His wife Linda, 63, was also charged. Her case is still pending.
No word if Dr. Morrow’s one-hour facelift seminar, planned for March 30, is still happening.
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