When people in Minnesota are accused of crimes, they are often left facing multiple decisions that will ultimately have a significant impact on the rest of their lives. Depending on the nature of the charges against them and the consequences a conviction can carry, a defendant may feel that the best option is to accept a plea deal. In fact, it seems that a chiropractor accused of fraud has opted to do just that.
The 36-year-old chiropractor faces two counts of aggravated identity theft and six counts of wire fraud. Law enforcement officials have accused the man, who operated a business called Health Quest Family Chiropractic, of defrauding health insurers of over $3 million. Reports claim that he did this by billing treatments that he either did not provide or overbilled from March 2013 to April 2015.
Reports claim that one of the ways the man did this was through special promotional events. For example, he reportedly promoted an event called “ValenSpine’s Day.” On this particular day, he allegedly reported treating over 200 patients on which he performed 641 services.
Though he had been slated to go to trial soon, he will now have a hearing on a day in January to change his plea. Because of the number and severity of charges against him, the Minnesota man likely needed to carefully weigh his options. Depending on the evidence, he may feel it is in his best interest to accept a plea deal regardless of his innocence or guilt. Because of the high stakes of fraud cases and their complicated nature, many defendants want an experienced criminal defense attorney advising them as they make the decisions that will change the rest of their lives.