Chiropractor found guilty in connection with insurance scam

Oct. 28--A Chicago-area chiropractor was found guilty on 18 counts of health care fraud in connection with about $10 million in false insurance claims made over nearly a decade, according to an indictment released by the FBI.

Enrique "Henry" Posada, 55, owner of Associated Back Care and Rehabilitation at 4354 W. 63rd St. in West Lawn, and who was a licensed chiropractor from 1996 until July of this year, was found guilty at the conclusion of a jury trial Friday. The charges, initially announced in March by Joel R. Levin, acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, were that Posada presented false inventories to insurance companies -- including, but not limited to Medicare -- for services that never were provided, the indictment states.

The 18 charges stem from 18 occurrences when the FBI said Posada tried to use the same scheme to defraud a number of health care benefit programs, including Medicare, Cigna, Independence Blue Cross, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, National Association of Letter Carriers and Humana on dates in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Calls to Posada requesting comment were not immediately returned Saturday.

According to the indictment, Posada is accused of submitting the claims as far back as 2008, and on at least one occasion he is accused of submitting claims to an insurance company for services provided to patients in Illinois on dates when Posada wasn't even in the state.

Further, the indictment states: "Posada, at times, used the names and identifying information of certain individuals, including patients without their knowledge or authorization, and caused the creation of fraudulent claims submitted by ABC to health care benefit programs."

When the indictment was returned March 16, Posada, of Clarendon Hills, pleaded not guilty, officials said.

Posada is accused of depositing the money he received from the health care benefit program to a bank account for the parent company of ABC, Spine Clinics of America S.C., the indictment states. Of the money fraudulently obtained, officials allege he then used at least $5 million on personal purchases.

In its indictment, the grand jury further alleged Posada is to forfeit to the United States any property derived from the money that can be traced to this illegal scheme. As such, the government states it is owed more than $5 million, plus $850,000 in cashier checks; a 2013 Lexus; and a house in Watseka, Ill., according to the indictment.

Records show that Posada's most recent chiropractor's license was set to expire at the end of July of this year. According to FBI spokesman Garrett Croon, it's not clear whether Posada was prevented from extending his license as a result of the indictment.

Croon said Posada is expected to be sentenced at a court appearance in February of next year.

Health care fraud is punishable by as many as 10 years in prison, according to the March news release from Levin.

kdouglas@chicagotribune.com

@312BreakingNews

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