A Ridgefield doctor was sentenced Monday for committing health care fraud.
David Lester Johnston, an osteopathic physician at Osteopathic Wellness Center LLC in Ridgefield, pleaded guilty in January to one count of health care fraud and admitted that he engaged in a scheme to defraud several private health insurance companies by submitting claims for services that he did not perform and by misrepresenting the nature of the services that were performed, according to a press release from the U.S. attorney”™s office in Connecticut.
Johnston was sentenced to three months of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release, the first six months of which must be served in home confinement. He was also ordered to perform 150 hours of community service and to pay restitution in the amount of $172,950.
In a civil settlement with the government, Johnston also agreed to pay $270,528 for submitting false claims to the Medicare program for office visits, treatments and services.
Johnston has been excluded from participation in all federal health care programs for a period of five years.
