A Central Virginia-based laboratory marketer and a Richmond doctor will pay six-figure fines for violations of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute.
John Bello, a laboratory marketer from Chesterfield, and Richmond-based doctor James Cook, are among several people who have agreed to pay more than $1.1 million to resolve allegations in a laboratory kickback case, according to the Justice Department.
Bello and his marketing company, RiteRx4U, agreed to pay $140,000 to resolve allegations that they paid Cook thousands of dollars in kickbacks to induce him to order testing from two clinical laboratories in New Jersey and Virginia.
Cook and his medical practice, Family Medical Centers, agreed to pay $206,987 to resolve their side of the scheme.
Bello and RiteRx4U and Cook and Family Medical Centers allegedly sought to disguise these payments as purported investment returns when they were in fact based on the volume and value of Dr. Cook’s referrals to these laboratories.
“Monetary inducements to healthcare providers undermine the integrity of taxpayer-funded healthcare programs and can improperly influence healthcare providers’ decision-making,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.
“We will continue to hold accountable individuals, as well as companies, who disregard their legal obligations and participate in illegal kickback schemes,” Boynton said.
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Chris Graham
