Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced last week that investigators from her office arrested and charged an East Meadow podiatrist for allegedly bilking the Medicare and Medicaid programs of more than $30,000 over an 18-month period.

Jericho resident Dr. Alan Cantor, 47, was arrested March 12 and charged with grand larceny and attempted grand larceny (both 3rd degree); scheme to defraud (1st degree); and petit larceny. In nearly a dozen incidents, the district attorney alleges that Dr. Cantor billed the state and federal health-care programs for treatments performed on patients who were deceased.

Last week's arrest is the culmination of a two-year investigation into alleged fraud allegations at Dr. Cantor's Meadowbrook Foot Care PC, located at 2302 Hempstead Turnpike, East Meadow. The facility is across the street from the Nassau University Medical Center (NUMC), where the doctor often treated patients. He serves as a registered health-care provider with Medicaid and Medicare.

The investigation was launched in 2006 after a retired Nassau County police officer noticed a suspicious listing on the Explanation of Benefits portion of his insurance statements. According to Rice, the retired officer had never been treated by Meadowbrook Foot Care and referred the matter to county authorities.

DA investigators and agents from the United States Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations (HHS-OIG-OI) later uncovered $67,967.96 in bogus bills Dr. Cantor allegedly submitted to the Medicare and Medicaid programs from Dec. 3, 2004 to Sept. 7, 2006. Rice alleges that Dr. Cantor successfully obtained $31,383.42 in bogus repayments from Medicare (grand larceny - 3rd degree) and an additional $97.22 from Medicaid (petit larceny). Medicare, however, rejected $36,487.32 of his alleged phony reimbursements (attempted grand larceny - 3rd degree), Rice said.

According to Special Agent in Charge Gary Heuer, HHS-OIG-OI is committed to working with all levels of government in the prosecution of perpetrators of health-care fraud. "The investigation and arrest of Dr. Cantor is a prime example of the cases where state, county, and local statutes provide an effective avenue for the prosecution of health-care fraud. It is our hope that district attorney offices throughout the State of New York continue to pursue these offenders as diligently as Nassau County did with Dr. Cantor," said Heuer.

Medicaid is a state-run health-care program assisting individuals and families of limited financial resources. The program is heavily funded by individual counties and Rice said that her fraud unit will continue to work closely with the county to uncover and return taxpayer dollars to the state and federal coffers. Medicare is a federal health-care program assisting residents the elderly and infirmed. The program is funded by federal tax dollars.

Dr. Cantor, who is being represented by Bronx attorney Lawrence DiGiansante was arraigned March 12 in First District Court, Hempstead. Bail was set at $3,000 bond or $1,500 cash. If convicted, Dr. Cantor faces a maximum of seven years in prison. Please note, the charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Handling the case for the District Attorney's Office is Assistant District Attorney Andrew Weiss, of the District Attorney's Government & Consumer Frauds Bureau. District Attorney Rice thanks the United States Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General for this assistance in this investigation.

In announcing last week's sting by her Medicaid Fraud Unit, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice released the telephone number of a newly created hotline the public can use to report Medicaid and Medicare fraud allegations. Rice said that callers have the option of remaining anonymous and that her office will aggressively investigate allegations received by the hotline.

The phone number is 1-888-633-4311.

"Healthcare fraud costs Nassau County taxpayers millions of dollars per year," said Rice. "My administration will continue to lead the way when it comes to combating this growing problem. In our aggressive prosecution of these cases, we will be going after money that we can deposit directly back into the coffers of state and federal government. I urge residents to utilize this hotline and to immediately report suspicious billing or incidents of suspected fraud."

In April 2007, Rice created Long Island's first Medicaid Fraud Unit. In fewer than 12 months, specially trained investigators and prosecutors from District Attorney Rice's office have uncovered and prosecuted six cases of Medicaid and Medicare fraud, amounting to more than $2.3 million in taxpayer dollars.