By Patsy Newitt

Queens, N.Y., physician Alexander Baldonado, MD, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for orchestrating a scheme that generated more than $24 million in fraudulent Medicare claims for medically unnecessary laboratory tests and orthotic braces.

What happened?

Dr. Baldonado was convicted in February for participating in a kickback scheme in which he accepted illegal cash payments in exchange for approving tests and braces, including at COVID-19 testing events where he ordered cancer genetic tests for patients he never examined or treated.

Prosecutors said he also submitted false Medicare claims for office visits that never occurred. Several patients testified that they had never met or spoken with him. Undercover video captured Dr. Baldonado accepting large amounts of cash in return for signing prescriptions for unneeded medical equipment.