Former Ventnor Firefighter Going to Prison in Health Care Fraud Case

A sentencing has been handed down in the healthcare fraud case that rocked the Atlantic City area over the last few years.

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Former Ventor firefighter sentenced in court.

Corey Sutor, 42, of Egg Harbor Township was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison, according to Attorney for the United States Vikas Khanna.

The former Ventnor firefighter had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud.

Corey Sutor was one of the owners of a company formed to market prescription medications.

The case has to do with compound medications. The company "persuaded individuals in New Jersey to obtain very expensive and medically unnecessary compounded medications."

According to Khanna, here's how the fraud worked:

"The conspirators learned that certain compound medication prescriptions – including pain, scar, and antifungal creams, as well as vitamin combinations – were reimbursed for thousands of dollars for a one-month supply. The conspirators also learned that the New Jersey State Health Benefits Program, which covers qualified state and local government employees, retirees, and eligible dependents, and the School Employees’ Health Benefits Program, which covers qualified local education employees, retirees, and eligible dependents, would cover compound medication prescriptions.

Sutor and his conspirators entered into an agreement in which Sutor’s company would receive a percentage of the amounts paid to compounding pharmacies for prescriptions secured by Sutor and his conspirators. Sutor and his conspirators then recruited public employees, offered them hundreds of dollars per month, and persuaded them to agree to obtain prescription compounded medications they did not need without any physical examination by a medical professional. Sutor would obtain insurance and personal information from the public employees and give that information to conspirators.  Sutor’s company then would receive a percentage of the amounts paid on these fraudulent prescriptions, which Sutor and others would divide. "

All told they caused New Jersey to pay over $2 million in fraudulent claims to public employees.

In addition to the prison time, Sutor received two years of supervised release. He must forfeit the money he made in the scheme, and pay restitution of $2.09 Million.

SOURCE: District of New Jersey, US Attorney's Office.