A Texas internal medicine doctor was convicted of accepting more than $200,000 in kickbacks for sending patient samples to particular labs, according to officials from the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.
Dr. Hector Ubaldo, 60, was indicted in September. After a two-day trial, it took a federal grand jury only 14 minutes to find him guilty of conspiracy to pay and receive healthcare kickbacks and solicitation and receipt of illegal kickbacks.
Based on the evidence presented at trial, Ubaldo accepted cash from so-called “marketers” in return for sending patients’ blood and urine samples to particular labs, which then billed insurance companies and Medicare for running diagnostic tests, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Ubaldo also entered into “sham medical advisory agreements with the labs and marketers” where he was supposed to provide advisory services in exchange for a monthly fee. However, the labs and marketers did not need these services, and Ubaldo did not provide them.
“Instead, the medical advisory service agreements served as a fraudulent vehicle to funnel kickback payments to Dr. Ubaldo in exchange for his sending samples to specific labs,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
On various occasions, one of the marketers met with Ubaldo at his office and handed over thousands of dollars in cash. Video evidence of the meetings was introduced in court.
“To tell you the truth, I need the cash,” Dr. Ubaldo told the marketer at one of the meetings.
Ubaldo accepted more than $253,000 in bribes, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He now faces up to 15 years in federal prison and was taken into custody as he awaits sentencing.