PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (WFLA) – A doctor in Port St. Lucie has agreed to pay millions of dollars to reimburse the government for Medicare payments on patients who were not ill, WPTV reported.
Dr. Gary Marder allegedly falsely diagnosed patients with skin cancer. Marder put them through medically unnecessary radiation treatments and pocketed millions from insurance companies.
WPTV reports Marder diagnosed one woman with skin cancer, who then underwent two-hours of radiation therapy for 20 days, not knowing she didn’t actually have the disease.
Each visit cost Gloria Strumalo between $1,600 and $3,500.
She went back and didn’t believe when Marder told her she needed more radiation therapy.
Strumalo opted for surgery instead, and the wound got badly infected.
The doctor who offered a second opinion said she wasn’t the first patient from Marder.
The doctor alerted authorities and worked with the FBI to uncover the scheme, and built a case against Marder. A whistleblower lawsuit started in 2013 when he noticed an increase of patients who underwent unnecessary treatments.
Marder can pay $5.2 million before the due date, to avoid having to pay the full $18 million. He will also give up a vacant lot he owns on Hutchinson Island, valued at $650,000.
Marder’s medical license was still active on Thursday, according to WPTV.WHAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON RIGHT NOW
- WATCH: Man confronts woman who left child alone in car in Tampa
- Florida doctor wrongly diagnosed patients with cancer for profit
- Mom pleads guilty in son’s birthday cake beating death
- 5 injured in high wire accident; They’re ‘lucky to be alive,’ doctors say
- Multi-County Chase: Girl, 15, found in back seat of stolen, burning car dies from injuries
- U.S. Marshals capture tattoo-covered sex offender
>> back to WFLA.com for more top stories
