SoCal Doctor Sentenced To Prison For Medicare Fraud

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA -- An Orange County-based doctor who ran a clinic on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles has been sentenced to four years behind bars for his role in a Medicare fraud scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Joseph R. Altamirano, 60, of Tustin, was also ordered by U.S. District Judge George H. Wu to pay restitution of $4,334,464, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Aug. 22.

Altamirano, who also ran the Tustin-based male hormone therapy clinic the Pure Life Institute, pleaded guilty in Dec. 2017 to one federal count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

He was charged in 2015 with billing Medicare for medical equipment and services that weren't medically necessary and often not provided, according to federal prosecutors.

From January 2005 through May 2015, recruiters associated with the clinic traveled throughout the Southland looking for Medicare beneficiaries so that Altamirano could write ``medically unnecessary'' prescriptions for medical supplies and home health services, the U.S. Department of Justice alleged.

At the clinic, Altamirano's associates allegedly provided beneficiaries with blood draws and ultrasounds they didn't actually need, as well as toenail trimmings and foot massages, according to federal prosecutors.

At times, prosecutors contend, Altamirano briefly met with beneficiaries, but did not examine them, before submitting fraudulent claims for services not provided.

City News Service contributed to this report.