ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Dr. Salomon Melgen once held political fundraisers at his palatial Florida home, hung out with prominent Democrats including New Jersey Sen.
Bob Menendez and made millions of dollars through his eye care practice.The problem, according to federal prosecutors, was that Melgen was also bilking Medicare out of at least $73 million by persuading numerous elderly patients to undergo tests and get treatment for diseases they did not actually have.Eventually, he was put on trial in West Palm Beach federal court.
He was convicted in April 2017 on 67 counts, including health care fraud, submitting false claims and falsifying patient records.