Sacto 911

Jan. 05--Q: In February 2017, Granite Bay chiropractor William Guenther and several staff members were charged with multiple counts of insurance fraud. They were all released on bail. What is the status of their case?

Pat, Roseville

A: William Guenther of Granite Bay, a chiropractor and former owner of Fort Sutter Chiropractic in Sacramento, was arraigned in February 2017 on eight felony counts of insurance fraud for his alleged role in a scheme that involved billing health and auto insurers for treatment services that were not provided, according to a California Department of Insurance news release.

Three members of his staff -- former in-house biller Pam Rivas of Cameron Park, and office managers Cristen Jones-Hassanali and Stacey Fellows, both of Sacramento -- were each charged with seven counts of felony insurance fraud.

The next court date for all four defendants is Feb. 21 for a settlement conference, according to Sacramento Superior Court records available online.

Guenther and his staff allegedly billed several insurers for mechanical traction treatment for 50 to 70 patients per day between 2012 and 2015, when no mechanical traction units were in the office, according to the Department of Insurance. Insurers paid $150,325 to Fort Sutter Chiropractic in fraudulent claims, according to the news release.

The Department of Insurance noted that Fort Sutter Chiropractic was under new ownership at the time of Guenther's arrest, and he was no longer affiliated with the practice.