Crime & Safety
Doctor Admits Taking Kickbacks for Patient Referrals
Internist from Belle Meade could face up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to taking $50,000 cash in exchange for referrals.
An internist from Belle Meade could be facing five years in prison after she pleaded guilty on Wednesday to receiving cash in exchange for diagnostic testing referrals, according to U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman.
Padma Siripurapu, 46, a clinical director at Newark Community Health Center, could also face a $250,000 fine when she is sentenced on Oct. 9.
According to Fishman, Siripurapu admittedly received $3,600 in cash in November 2011 from an undercover government informant in exchange for referrals at her Newark doctor's office. In the same month, she received another payment of $3,450 cash for referrals, according to a release from Fishman's office.
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Over time, Fishman said she had received more than $50,000 illegally.
Siripurapu's arrest is one of 12 included in an investigation of Orange MRI. So far, nine health care providers have pleaded guilty to kickback charges and agreed to forfeit $325,300 in illegal kickbacks from Orange MRI, Fishman said.
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Fishman thanked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of the Inspector General for assistance with the case.
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