A 49-year-old man from Georgia has allegedly run a trendy scheme in which he referred patients to go to medical testing facilities in return for sizeable kickbacks.
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What's The Scheme And Who Was Behind It?
Erik Santos, the man with the plan, caught the ire of federal prosecutors beginning in February when he found another potential source of income: the coronavirus pandemic.
Santos, according to court documents available to the public filed this week in New Jersey, was that he arranged to be paid kickbacks for each COVID-19 test, which was referred when they were bundled with other, more expensive exams for respiratory illnesses.
Santos had this to say from a telephone call, "While there are people going through what they are going through, you can either go bankrupt or you can prosper," and added, "Everybody has been chasing the COVID dollar bird."
This is true since the deadly virus has spread all across the globe and killing thousands of people, all sorts of criminal schemes, many of them that incite fear and panic, have been taking root, and it is very alarming.
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Other Troubling Schemes
Authorities in Kentucky have been investigating drive-up testing sites, promising-day results for about 250 USD. A Texas-based website was offering a "vaccine" for coronavirus up until authorities won a restraining order against its operators.
Now going to Virginia, telephone scammers, who posed as local hospital representatives, warned residents of the possible virus exposure and lured people to sham test sites
Louisville, Kentucky, officials advised residents this week to avoid several pop-up coronavirus sites that are used for "testing." Two medical marketing companies who are offering the tests, including the one that promised results within 24 hours, charged up to 250 USD for people who were exhibiting symptoms. Several testing sites were found in the area, including one just a local gas station.
Local Metro Council President David James told The Louisville Courier-Journal that those tests were accurate, scams.
Attorney General William Barr said in a memo to federal prosecutors across the country said this, "The pandemic is dangerous enough without wrongdoers seeking to profit from public panic, and this sort of conduct cannot be tolerated,"
In line with this, the Justice Department has directed all 94 U.S. attorneys to appoint a coordinator for virus-fraud related cases in their districts. Raising that the prospect that those who will threaten or attempt to spread the virus could be and will be charged with federal terrorism offenses as the virus could be classified as a biological agent.
Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen had this to say on the matter, enough without wrongdoers seeking to profit from public panic, and this sort of conduct cannot be tolerated,"
