Indian-American Neurosurgeon pleads guilty to accepting $3.3 million in bribes
In total, Tantuwaya received approximately $3.3 million in illegal payments In April 2013, law enforcement searched Pacific Hospital, which was sold later that year, bringing the kickback scheme to an end. To date, 23 defendants have been convicted for participating in the kickback scheme, the Department of Justice said.;
Washington: A 55-year-old Indian-American neurosurgeon in the US has pleaded guilty to a federal criminal charge of accepting approximately $3.3 million in bribes for performing spinal surgeries at a now-defunct medical facility.
Lokesh Tantuwaya of San Diego pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and to violate the federal Anti-Kickback statute.
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He has been in federal custody since May 2021 after he was found to have violated the terms of his pretrial release, said the Department of Justice.
According to his plea agreement and statements at Thursday's change-of-plea hearing, from 2010 to 2013, Tantuwaya accepted money from Michael Drobot, who owned Pacific Hospital in Long Beach, in exchange for performing spinal surgeries at that hospital. The bribe amount varied depending on the type of spinal surgery, federal prosecutors alleged.
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