US Attorney Duane Evans announced that Dennis Michael Peyroux (“PEYROUX”), age 57, of Slidell, Louisiana, pled guilty on January 8, 2025 to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, in connection with a scheme to bill Medicare for over the counter COVID-19 test kits that were not requested or otherwise ineligible for reimbursement.
According to court documents, starting in November 2022, PEYROUX conspired with others to purchase Medicare beneficiary information, including names, Medicare identification numbers, and clearly fabricated recordings of individuals posing as beneficiaries and “requesting” COVID-19 test kits, that PEYROUX used to bill Medicare for test kits through his chiropractic clinic. PEYROUX then misappropriated the credentials of a former nurse practitioner who worked for him and falsely listed the nurse practitioner as the referring provider on the thousands of false and fraudulent claims.
In total, in around six months, PEYROUX allegedly billed Medicare approximately $3.3 million in false and fraudulent claims for COVID-19 test kits through his clinic, for which Medicare reimbursed approximately $3.2 million.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, PEYROUX agreed to pay over $3.2 million in restitution to Medicare. The government also forfeited over $1 million seized from PEYROUX’s bank accounts. The Honorable Lance M. Africk set sentencing for April 23, 2025. At sentencing, the maximum penalty PEYROUX may receive is ten years of imprisonment, followed by up to three years of supervised release. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000.
