A Flushing doctor last week was released on his own recognizance after being arraigned on charges that he defrauded six insurance companies out of more than $25,000 by billing for medical services that he never provided, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown and state Department of Financial Services Superintendent Ben Lawsky.
Dr. Stanley-Sangwook Kim, 41, who maintains a medical practice on Parsons Boulevard and is the director of the surgical residency program at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway, has been charged with fifth-, fourth- and third-degree insurance fraud, fourth- and third-degree grand larceny, petit larceny, fifth-, fourth- and third-degree criminal possession of stolen property, first-degree falsifying business records and scheme to defraud.
According to the charges, Kim submitted fraudulent claims totaling more than $63,000 to health insurance carriers Aetna, Cigna, United Healthcare, Optum Health Care, Health Plus and Affinity Health Plan for medical treatment he supposedly rendered to 13 patients during a 16-month period between May 2012 and September 2013 which he actually did not provide. And because of the false claims, Kim allegedly received $25,060 in unlawful payments from the insurance carriers.
The case came to light when Aetna received a complaint from an insured member who indicated that she had been billed for a service that had not been performed. Aetna initially commenced an investigation and then turned their findings over to the state DFS Criminal Investigations Unit.
Kim, who faces up to seven years in prison if convicted, was ordered to return to court on Dec. 10.
