A Rockland man who once served as the manager of a popular local health club was sentenced to four months for health care fraud and embezzlement on Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
The United States Attorney’s Office in a news release said that U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced 42-year-old Michael A. Morrison for health care fraud and embezzlement.
In addition to jail time, Michael A. Morrison, 42, was sentenced to three years of supervised release, including four months of home confinement. He was also ordered to pay about $206,000 in restitution.
Morrison pleaded guilty on Dec. 11. He appeared Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Portland.
According to court documents, Morrison served as the manager of the Trade Winds Health, Swim and Tan Club in Rockland between 2005 and 2016. The club also operated a physical therapy practice known as Coastal Physical Therapy.
Prosecutors said that Morrison billed about $175,000 in false claims to Medicare, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and a Veterans Administration health care program. Morrison exaggerated the length of time that therapists spent with patients and made claims for appointments that were cancelled.
In addition, Morrison billed for services he provided even though he was not licensed and used the names of therapists who did not work on the dates that he indicated.
Court documents show that Morrison embezzled about $31,000 from the Trade Winds by using a health club credit card to pay for online purchases and by stealing cash that he failed to deposit into the club’s bank account.
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