Pain Doctors Sentenced to 6 ½ Years In $45 Million Healthcare Fraud

US Department of Justice, Northern District of Texas, September 26, 2024

Two pain management doctors who pantomimed injections on patients were sentenced today to six and a half years apiece for healthcare fraud, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.

Drs. Desi Barroga, 51, and Deno Barroga, 51, were indicted in November 2023 and pleaded guilty in May 2024 to one count each of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. They were sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr, who ordered them jointly and severally liable for $9,016,883.10 in restitution. Under the terms of their plea agreement, both men were also required to forfeit their medical licenses.

“These doctors exploited drug users’ vulnerabilities, requiring them to submit to monthly visits in exchange for controlled substance prescriptions, then billing their insurance providers for services the patients did not need nor receive. In a bizarre attempt to cover up their crimes, the defendants feigned giving injections without actually piercing the patients’ skin,” said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton. “Not only did they defraud their patients’ insurers, they facilitated their patients’ addictions. Their actions are antithetical to the practice of medicine, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office is proud to hold them accountable for their crimes.”

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