Hope Lefeber
The decision basically guarantees an automatic enhancement for abuse of a position of trust for any defendant convicted under this statute.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PRWEB) January 23, 2015
In U.S. v. Babaria, 2014 WL 7399043 (3d Cir. Dec. 31, 2014), the Third Circuit Court of Appeals decided an issue of first impression: whether a Medicare provider convicted of fraud abused a “position of trust,” justifying a two-level adjustment under § 3B1.3 of the Sentencing Guidelines. Federal criminal defense lawyer, Hope Lefeber, discusses the case.
The defendant, Dr. Babaria pleaded guilty to paying physicians under the table for referring patients to his clinic for diagnostic testing, which he then billed Medicare and Medicaid for, amounting to over $2 million. While Dr. Babaria never compromised patient care, the kickbacks nevertheless violated 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b)(2)(A). Dr. Babaria objected to the two-level sentencing enhancement for defendants who abuses a position of trust, claiming he neither occupied nor abused such a position of trust. Both the District Court and the Court of Appeals disagreed.
In relying heavily on U.S. v. Sherman, 160 F.3d 967 (3d Cir. 1998), Ms. Lefeber explains that the Third Circuit considered three factors: (1) whether the position allowed the defendant to commit a difficult-to-detect wrong; (2) the degree of authority which the position vested; and (3) whether victims relied on the integrity of the defendant. In siding with the Fourth and Eleventh Circuits, the Third Circuit ruled that Dr. Babaria occupied and abused such a position since “he certified compliance with the anti-kickback statute; but nevertheless utilized his position as [the clinic’s] medical director and manager to supervise and conceal the payment of kickbacks, a difficult-to-detect offense.”
Ms. Lefeber explains that this case is consistent with the Third Circuit’s previous rulings and basically guarantees an automatic enhancement for abuse of a position of trust for any defendant convicted under this statute.
About Hope Lefeber:
Hope Lefeber is a federal criminal defense attorney in Philadelphia. With over 30 years experience, she is recognized by Superlawyers and is ranked by the National Trial Lawyers as one of the top 100 Criminal Defense Lawyers in the United States and one of the Top 10 Criminal Defense Lawyers in Pennsylvania. Ms. Lefeber’s key areas of practice include white collar defense in business and corporate fraud, mail and wire fraud, money laundering, tax fraud and other white collar crimes, conspiracy and drug offenses. Learn more about her at http://www.hopelefeber.com
