Feds charge Fort Worth, Southlake doctors in fraud takedown

Key Points:

• Over a dozen North Texas medical professionals, including doctors from Southlake and Fort Worth, were charged in a nationwide healthcare fraud crackdown involving 455 defendants and schemes totaling over $6.5 billion in false claims.
• Dr. James Lou Carlisle Jr. of Southlake, Dr. Olubayo Idowu of Desoto, and nurse practitioner Vaughn Anthony Brozek of Hurst allegedly conspired from 2020 to 2023 to accept kickbacks for unnecessary EEG testing.
• Fort Worth cardiologist Dr. Jason Finkelstein was charged with conspiracy to commit healthcare and wire fraud related to an $89 million cardiovascular testing scheme involving false insurance claims and improper patient test approvals.
• Prosecutors highlighted that Finkelstein signed off on tests within seconds without proper review, including a case where a student athlete was cleared despite abnormal results and later died from sudden cardiac arrest.
• U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould emphasized the commitment to aggressively pursue medical fraud and protect vulnerable communities from exploitation by healthcare professionals.