Alexander Baldonado, 69, caused over $24 million in fraudulent claims to be submitted to Medicare and was ordered to pay $2.21 million in restitution after his sentencing in October, the US Attorney’s Office announced Friday, Dec. 12.
According to authorities, Baldonado received tens of thousands of dollars in illegal cash kickbacks and bribes in exchange for ordering medically unnecessary laboratory tests, including high-cost cancer genetic tests, billed by two New York labs.
During the scheme, Baldonado approved hundreds of cancer genetic tests for Medicare beneficiaries who attended COVID-19 testing events in 2020 at assisted living institutions, adult day care centers, and a retirement facility.
Prosecutors said he did not treat any of the patients at the time and rarely spoke with or evaluated them before ordering the tests.
Several Medicare patients testified that they had never met Baldonado and did not know he had billed Medicare for lengthy office sessions that he never made. Baldonado also failed to follow up with many patients to go over test results, and some never received them at all.
In a separate kickback scheme, Baldonado got cash payments from a durable medical equipment supplier for buying medically inappropriate orthotic braces for Medicare and Medicaid patients.
Federal prosecutors provided undercover video recordings of Baldonado collecting huge sums of cash in exchange for signed brace prescriptions.
According to authorities, the false tests and braces resulted in more than $24 million in Medicare claims, which were finally paid out for more than $2.2 million.
After a five-day jury trial in February 2025, Baldonado was found guilty of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, multiple counts of health care fraud, and several kickback-related charges.
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