Personal Injury Lawyers in New York

Over eight doctors and licensing board administrators from Puerto Rico have been indicted by a United States federal grand jury for taking part in a large scale fraud that helped unqualified doctors in the U.S. territory obtain medical licenses through bribery and deception.

Most of the defendants are Puerto Rican and have been practicing as doctors there; at the time of this writing, none of the unqualified doctors has practiced in the United States. However, a medical license from Puerto Rico is recognized in Arizona, Florida, Texas, Virginia and New York.

The defendants are said to have obtained the false licenses in a variety of ways including bribing officials and substituting exam papers submitted by successful candidates for their own. Allegedly, a secretary at the licensing board cut and pasted extracts of papers from successful candidates into the paperwork submitted by some of the defendants.

Some of the defendants had failed their medical exams at least a dozen times.

The current list of charges could be just the tip of the iceberg as federal agencies do more investigating as far back as 2001. And, if the defendants prescribed medication while unlicensed, they can face charges under the Controlled Substances Act. If they submitted Medicare or Medicaid claims, they may also face mail fraud charges.

If you or a loved one has suffered due to medical malpractice in Long Island, including Nassau and Suffolk Counties or in New York City, including Queens, the Bronx or Brooklyn, please contact the Medical Malpractice Law Offices of Silberstein, Awad & Miklos to schedule your initial consultation.