Chesterfield Chiropracter Anthony Calandro Convicted of Fraud

Chesterfield chiropractor Anthony Calandro and the Chiropractic Accident Centre of Crestwood have been convicted of federal healthcare fraud. 

A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office stated that Calandro had billed insurance companies for x-rays that were never taken and for appointments that patients canceled or had missed. 

The conviction could lead to serious punishment with Calandro facing up to ten years in prison and/or a fine of up to $250,000 for the charge of fraud. He was charged in July his sentencing is set for Feb. 7, 2013.

He was also convicted of three counts of making false statements while his corporation as a whole was convicted of four counts of making false statements. Each count carries a possible sentence of five years in prison and $250,000 in fines. 

More information from the U.S. Attorney:

According to testimony presented at trial, during 2010 and 2011, two undercover investigations revealed that Dr. Calandro and Ms. Rueter billed multiple insurance companies for services that were never rendered.  From 2006 to 2011, they submitted numerous reimbursement claims that falsely stated that the Chiropractic Centre had taken more x-rays than were actually taken.  In most instances, only one or two x-rays were taken during a patient’s visit, but many more x-ray views were billed.  Since health insurance companies would not reimburse Chiropractic Centre if a claim indicated the patient had missed an appointment and had not received a billable service, they falsely indicated that a billable service had been provided to patients.  Using false codes, they submitted thousands of false claims for missed appointments.

Additionally, the defendants are subject to forfeiture to the government of all money derived from their illegal activity. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Dorothy McMurtry and Dianna Collins prosecuted the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.