Article - March 31, 2008 - Business First of Columbus
Chiropractor sentenced to 5 years in prison
A former Lewis Center chiropractor has been sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to fraud and corruption charges for a scheme that fraudulently billed insurance companies more than $600,000, officials said.
The Ohio Department of Insurance said Zahir Sherazee, 39, a chiropractor whose license was revoked in 2005, was ordered in Delaware County Common Pleas Court to serve 62 months in prison and fined $20,000.
Sherazee in January had negotiated a guilty plea to insurance fraud, engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, unlicensed practice of chiropractic services and drug possession. He also agreed to pay about $268,000 in restitution to three insurance companies, said Traci Beck, spokeswoman for the county prosecutor's office.
Insurance companies receiving restitution are:
- Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Ohio - $11,842
- Medical Mutual of Ohio - $1,443
Sherazee's sentencing comes after a four-month investigation led by the Insurance Department, Ohio State Chiropractic Board and Delaware officials. Initiated in January 2007, the probe found that Sherazee fraudulently billed insurance companies more than $600,000 for services never rendered. A search of Sherazee's home found steroids and documents related to the billing activity, the Insurance Department said.
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