DECEMBER 18 —- ILLEGAL KICKBACKS AND UNNECESSARY SCAMS RAISE COSTS FOR CONSUMERS | WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER SETS RECORD VISITS FOR YEAR 7,017,658 VISITS! 2,098,003 VISITORS MADE 6 VISITS A DAY EVERY DAY. 63,330 UNIQUE VISITORS MADE 133,730 VISITS IN DECEMBER. WPCNR AVERAGED 17,284 VISITORS A WEEK, VISITING 31,270 TIMES.

WPCNR BUNKO DIVISION. From New York Alliance Against Insurance Fraud. December 18, 2018

NEW YORK, NY — The New York Alliance Against Insurance Fraud is highlighting the federal sentencing of a Long Island physician who admitted to taking illegal kickbacks for ordering medically unnecessary brain scans, resulting in nearly $900,000 in fraudulent insurance billings.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, Dr. Kenneth Fishberger, 76, of East Setauket, New York, ordered hundreds of unnecessary transcranial doppler (TCD) scans between 2013 and 2019, using false diagnoses to bill Medicare and private insurers. He received about $100 per test in kickbacks. The scheme generated approximately $891,978 in fraudulent billings.

Dr. Fishberger was sentenced on December 9, 2025, to two years of supervised release, including one year of home confinement, and ordered to pay more than $440,000 in restitution, forfeiture, and fines.

Frank Sztuk, Chair of the Public Outreach Committee at the New York Alliance Against Insurance Fraud, emphasized the broader impact on consumers and the insurance system:

“Health care fraud like this inflates insurance premiums, burdens taxpayers, and undermines confidence in the medical profession. Strong enforcement protects patients, honest providers, and the integrity of our health care system.”