A New Jersey doctor has pled guilty to taking cash payments from an MRI center in Orange, NJ, in return for patient referrals. The physician, Dr. Dinesh Patel, faces up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.
Patel was one of 14 healthcare providers in December 2011 who were arrested when federal investigators raided the offices of Orange Community MRI on charges that the facility was paying for patient referrals. All of the defendants were recorded taking envelopes of cash; Patel was accused of accepting $7,600 in kickbacks in 2010 and 2011.
Patel is the fifth defendant to plead guilty in the case. In all, the five defendants accepted a total of $150,000 in illegal kickbacks from Orange Community MRI, according to investigators.
