Two pain management doctors, twin brothers Desi Barroga and Deno Barroga, both 51, pleaded guilty today to healthcare fraud charges. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Leigha Simonton.
The brothers were indicted in November 2023 and pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud before U.S. Magistrate Judge Rebecca Rutherford.
Court documents reveal that the Barroga twins admitted to conspiring to defraud insurance companies including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, and United Healthcare. They did so by submitting claims for corticosteroid injections that were never administered.
As part of the scheme, the doctors required patients to attend monthly office visits. This allowed patients to continue receiving highly addictive controlled substances, while the Barrogas billed insurance companies for services they didn't provide.
The brothers falsely reported performing up to 80 corticosteroid injections per patient per visit. In reality, many of these injections were never given; sometimes, the doctors simply mimicked the procedure by placing a needle on the patient's body without actually piercing the skin.
They also created fake medical records, often copying and pasting information between patients, and instructed patients to include false statements about their treatments.
The scheme resulted in the billing of insurers for at least $45 million, with the brothers receiving at least $9 million in payments.
Each brother faces up to 10 years in federal prison. As part of their plea agreement, they will surrender their DEA registrations and forfeit their medical licenses prior to sentencing. They also agreed to joint and several restitution, the amount of which will be determined later by the court.
The investigation was conducted by multiple agencies including the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s Office of the Inspector General, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas Field Division Diversion Group, and the Texas Department of Insurance – Fraud Unit – Austin and Fort Worth Field Offices.
