Lakeland Doctor Pleads Guilty To Accepting Kickbacks From Medical Firm

LAKELAND, FL — A Lakeland doctor has pleaded guilty in federal court of soliciting and receiving kickbacks and bribes in return for ordering medical services and items paid for by a federal health care program, according to United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg.

Dr. Sean Patrick O’Rourke, 56, faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. He also agreed to forfeit $31,075, the traceable proceeds for the crimes. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, O’Rourke, a licensed medical doctor, entered into an illegal agreement in 2018 with a health-care company in which the company would provide O'Rourke with completed doctors' orders for Medicare and Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs patient beneficiaries through an internet platform. O’Rourke would then access the platform, open the completed orders and electronically sign the orders in exchange for a payment of $25 per patient-beneficiary.

The system platform did not permit O’Rourke to add or modify any information in the already-completed orders other than his authorizing electronic signature.

In one case, around May 2019, O’Rourke received a payment of $5,500 from an entity associated with the health-care company for electronically signing and ordering cancer genomic tests and durable medical equipment for multiple Medicare beneficiaries.

Court records show that O’Rourke had no interaction with any of the Medicare beneficiaries prior to ordering the tests and equipment.

In all, from September 2018 through March 2020, O’Rourke ordered tests and equipment for 1,243 Medicare and CHAMPVA beneficiaries for which he was paid $31,075. As a result, the Medicare program paid $2,702,150 to various Medicare providers for the tests and equipment ordered by O’Rourke.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Health and Human Services and the FBI.