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Dr., a 75-year-old internal medicine specialist from East Setauket, New York. Kenneth Fishberger pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Fishberger admitted to accepting kickbacks for unnecessary brain scan orders; this resulted in approximately $900,000 in fraudulent claims to Medicare and private insurance companies.

Fishberger’s plea was entered before U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, who scheduled sentencing for Feb. 25, 2025. The scheme, which spanned from 2013 to 2019, involved Fishberger ordering hundreds of medically unnecessary transcranial Doppler (TCD) scans, which measure blood flow. In the brain using false diagnoses.

Prosecutors said Fishberger received $100 per scan from co-conspirators affiliated with a mobile medical diagnostics company. Based on Fishberger’s orders, the company submitted fraudulent claims to insurance providers, including Medicare. This scheme defrauded insurance companies of approximately $891,978.

“This case underscores the Department of Justice’s commitment to holding accountable those who undermine our healthcare system for personal gain,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy. Federal officials described the operation as a systematic abuse of trust in which Medicare and private insurance companies were exploited through false diagnoses and unnecessary medical tests.

The charge of conspiracy to commit health care fraud carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Fishberger, who has been a licensed medical professional for nearly five decades, expects to be sentenced under federal rules.