Bradley Pierre, a citizen of New Jersey, was given a 10-year prison sentence in a landmark case that represents one of the biggest no-fault insurance scams in New York’s history. The massive operation, which included bribery, tax evasion, and fake medical procedures, conned insurance companies out of $60 million over the course of more than ten years. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe after Pierre entered a guilty plea in December of 2023.
Details of the Fraudulent Scheme
Pierre’s plan took use of the no-fault insurance regulations in New Jersey and New York, which require an insurance provider for drivers to automatically pay for valid claims without placing the blame. In order to speed claims and prevent drawn-out investigations, this approach is designed. Pierre and his friends, known as the “Clinic Controllers,” unlawfully ran medical clinics in the New York region from 2008 to 2021. Veda Medical, Sky Medical, Sun Medical, and Rutland Medical are among the clinics that falsely claimed to be owned and operated by licensed doctors in order to deceive insurance companies into paying false bills.
Manipulating Medical Practices for Profit
In addition to other fraudulent operations, Pierre also trained physicians to lie on oath during Examinations under Oath (EUOs) regarding who owned and controlled the clinics. Pierre embezzled approximately $20 million by keeping control of these clinics, shifting money to his personal accounts and using clinic monies for non-clinical needs. In addition, he coordinated pharmacy kickbacks and steered clients toward the Shikh Firm, his wife’s legal practice, which made millions from the scam.
Pierre Expansion of the Fraudulent Network
Pierre did not limit his fraudulent actions to health care facilities. He was in charge of an MRI facility where he colluded with the alleged owner, a physician, to fabricate MRI reports in order to facilitate more needless medical billing and false injury claims. The fraud went so far as to conceal his role by using false loan contracts that greatly exaggerated the sums he was legally entitled to, enabling him to take out about $10 million more than was actually the case.
Bribery and Recruitment Tactics
Pierre’s use of bribery to find patients was a key component of his operation. He paid bribes to hospital staff, 911 dispatchers, and other individuals between 2015 and 2021 in exchange for private information about accident victims. After that, these victims were forced to attend Pierre’s clinics for therapy and to use the Shikh Firm’s legal services. Anthony Rose and Andrew Prime, two of Pierre’s cronies, were paid handsomely for their participation in this bribery scam; he personally gave each of them over $800,000.
Tax Evasion and Financial Misreporting
Together with bribes and healthcare fraud, Pierre also committed massive tax evasion. He concealed income and submitted fictitious business expenditure reports by using organizations like Marketing 4 You (M4Y) and Medical Reimbursement Consultants (MRC). By using the bank accounts of these companies to pay for personal needs and using check cashers to hide his true income, Pierre avoided paying almost $1.5 million in taxes.
Legal Consequences and Sentencing
After all of these illegal operations came to an end, Pierre was sentenced to prison on many counts, including conspiracy to commit bribery and conspiracy to cheat the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In addition to the 10-year jail term, he had to forfeit $3.5 million and make restitution of $1.5 million. After his prison sentence, he will additionally serve three years of supervised release.
Pierre’s fraudulent conduct are extremely serious, as demonstrated by the case brought by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mathew Andrews, Qais Ghafary, and Michael Lockard from the Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit and the White Plains Division. As he highlighted the enormous efforts necessary to bring such a complicated case to justice, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams praised the investigative team’s hard work. Bradley Pierre’s punishment serves as a reminder of the implications of large-scale fraud for the law and medical fields, as well as the necessity of upholding integrity in both fields.
