A New Jersey physician has received 20 months in prison for taking kickbacks in the case of an imaging center in the state that paid physicians for patient referrals.
Dr. Chikezie Onyenso was convicted in October 2013 of conspiracy to solicit and receive kickbacks from Orange Community MRI, which has been at the center of a Medicare fraud investigation. Onyenso was a pediatrician and internist who accepted payments from Orange MRI for referring patients from his own medical practice, Total Support Medical Group.
Onyenso received thousands of dollars from Orange MRI for referring Medicare and Medicaid patients for MRI, CT, and ultrasound scans in 2010 and 2011. He was recorded taking cash payments in his Irvington, NJ, office on two occasions, according to federal authorities.
Onyenso brings the number of people who have been convicted in connection with the Orange MRI investigation to 18, including 16 physicians.
