Boca Raton medical lab owner defrauded Medicare out of $15 million. Here's how he'll pay.

WEST PALM BEACH — A federal judge sentenced the owner of a Boca Raton medical lab to prison Friday for defrauding Medicare out of more than $15 million .

Prosecutors said Robert Matthew Clark, 30, paid kickbacks and bribes to a network of doctors willing to prescribe over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits and genetic tests to elderly and disabled patients. Though these tests were ineligible for reimbursement, prosecutors said Clark used them to submit about $30 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare between 2022 and 2023.

Clark pleaded guilty in March to a single conspiracy charge that included defrauding the United States, paying illegal health care kickbacks and illegally purchasing Medicare Beneficiary Identification numbers — a federal felony for which he faced up to five years in prison.

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At Clark's sentencing hearing Friday, defense attorney Jonathan Friedman blamed the lab owner's behavior on the financial instability he experienced throughout his childhood, as well as his untreated mental health conditions and past struggles with substance abuse. Friedman said a combination of these factors made Clark more susceptible to the influence of his co-conspirators.

Assistant U.S. Attorney S. Babu Kaza disagreed. Clark, while not the leader of the conspiracy, served as the named owner of Clear Choice Diagnostics and the signatory on its bank accounts.

"His personal history does not mitigate his choice to participate in a health care fraud conspiracy," Kazu said.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon agreed. She sentenced Clark to 40 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release. In addition to prison time, Cannon ordered the Pompano Beach man to repay the more than $15 million he earned defrauding Medicare.

Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com .

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boca Raton medical lab owner defrauded Medicare out of $15 million. Here's how he'll pay.