Two operators of a New Jersey marketing company were sentenced to prison for their roles in conspiracies to commit healthcare fraud and to pay and receive illegal kickbacks. Eric Karlewicz a/k/a “Anthony Mazza,” 46, of Rockland County, New York, and Nicco Romanowski, 33, of Roswell, Georgia, were sentenced in Newark federal court following their guilty pleas to Informations charging conspiracy to violate the Federal Anti-Kickback statute and conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. Karlewicz was sentenced to 51 months in prison and Romanowski was sentenced to 80 months in prison. In addition to the prison terms, each defendant was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $127,600,000 in restitution. Karlewicz was ordered to forfeit over $63 million, and Romanowski was ordered to forfeit over $5.5 million.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: From in or around June 2017 through in or around May 2019, Karlewicz and Romanowski participated in a scheme with durable medical equipment (“DME”) companies, telemedicine companies, and doctors to submit false claims to healthcare benefit programs, including Medicare and TRICARE, based on a circular scheme of kickbacks and bribes. Karlewicz and Romanowski controlled a New Jersey-based marketing company, Empire Pain Center Holdings LLC, though which they and their co-conspirators identified Medicare and TRICARE beneficiaries to target. Employees of Empire called the beneficiaries to pressure them to agree to accept DME, frequently consisting of back, shoulder, and knee braces. Karlewicz and Romanowski paid Empire’s employees commissions, bonuses, and incentives to encourage them to convince as many beneficiaries as possible to accept DME, regardless of medical necessity.