The owner of a North Main Street physical therapy business and one of his workers were convicted Wednesday of paying people to file bogus accident reports so they could charge insurance companies for treatments that were never done.
Patrick J. Gelin, 39, of Dorchester, owner of Premium Care Physical Therapy, and physical therapist Micheline Lamarre, 42, of 212 Page St., Avon, were convicted Wednesday by a federal jury in Boston of seven counts of participating in a scheme to commit health care fraud and one count of conspiring to commit health care fraud.
The two were accused of falsifying treatment paperwork, submitting false bills and paying people to fill out accident reports to clear the way for insurance payouts, according to paperwork filed in U.S. District Court.
Gelin and Lamarre were convicted Wednesday following a 14-day trial. Both face up to 10 years in prison for each count and up to three years of supervised release, in addition to a fine of up to $250,000 for each count.
U.S. District Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. scheduled sentencing for Oct. 14.
The scheme began in 2002, and at least five insurance companies were defrauded of an undisclosed amount of money, authorities said.
No one answered the telephone at Premium Care Physical Therapy late Wednesday afternoon. The business’ voicemail box was full.
A woman who answered the phone at Lamarre’s home in Avon Wednesday evening declined comment, saying Lamarre could not speak on the conviction.
Gelin has an unlisted phone number.
Federal authorities allege Gelin instructed Lamarre, also known as Micheline Champagne, to falsify patient charts to include treatments never performed.
Lamarre then submitted the false claims to the insurance companies in exchange for a percentage of the amount paid, according to authorities. Automobile insurance companies paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in connection with these false claims, according to evidence submitted at trial.
Gelin also paid “referral fees” to people who brought in patients who would fill out accident reports and patient forms, even if they didn’t get any treatment, a 2008 indictment alleged.
That was done so the business could bill the insurance companies, the indictment said.