Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Miami Herald - June 2, 2006
John Dorschner, jdorschner@MiamiHerald.com
Isaac Nosovsky, a former plastic surgeon in Weston, has been convicted in federal court of Medicare fraud charges involving expensive AIDS/HIV infusion treatments -- the latest case in a crackdown to stop widespread schemes that may have bilked taxpayers out of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Nosovsky gained notoriety last year over accusations that he allowed his brother, Gregorio, to perform breast implants and other cosmetic operations even though Gregorio had no medical license.
At least 35 women have said Gregorio botched their surgeries, and both brothers still face criminal charges in Broward courts concerning their alleged unlicensed collusion.
In the fraud case, the federal courts moved faster than the state, and on Tuesday, a Miami jury convicted Isaac Nosovsky one six counts of healthcare fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit fraud at a storefront clinic he ran at 2250 SW 3rd Ave. in Miami during 2004 and 2005.
The clinic was engaged in billing Medicare for expensive infusions that on very rare occasions help AIDS/HIV patients. According to the indictment, each injection cost $7,000 to $10,675.
In Nosovsky's case, the indictment alleged that HIV/AIDS patients were being paid kickbacks to pretend to be treated at the clinic.
The indictment stated Nosovsky had taken Medicare for $1.3 million in his fraudulent billing scheme.
A co-defendant, Adela Faustina Gonzalez, pleaded guilty prior to trial. Three others, Rosa Walled, Rafael Walled and Gregory Delatour, were charged separatedly and also have pleaded guilty.
Nosovsky, who received his medical training in Mexico and Israel, was operating the clinic at the same time he and his brother were tucking tummies at the Advanced Center for Cosmetic Surgery in Weston.
Many of the patients came after seeing the brothers on Spanish-language television shows boasting how they could improve the appearance of women.
In April, 2005, after investigators found both brothers were performing cosmetic surgery with only one license, they were arrested. Gregorio was charged with practicing without a license, and Isaac was charged with aiding and abetting.
On the Medicare charges, Isaac Nosovsky faces up to 10 years imprisonment on each of the fraud counts and up to five years on a related conspiracy charge. He was taken into custody after the jury verdict Tuesday. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 10.
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