WHITE PLAINS – A former physician from Hopewell Junction, was sentenced in White Plains federal court to nine years and three months in prison for health care fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Spyros Panos, 54, pled guilty to the charges on October 30, 2020. He was sentenced on Wednesday.
According to Panos’ guilty plea and court submissions, he surrendered his license to practice medicine in 2013 in anticipation of pleading guilty to an indictment charging him with health care fraud. While out on release in that case, and after surrendering his license, he began perpetrating a scheme to defraud six medical peer review companies by impersonating a licensed orthopedic surgeon practicing in Westchester County.
Among other things, he submitted the other doctor’s credentials to peer review companies and conducted peer reviews using the other doctor’s name and credentials.
He stopped while he served his prison sentence, but after his release, he resumed the scheme defrauding the peer review companies of $876,389.97.
According to court documents, in advance of his November 2, 2020 trial, Panos submitted proposed defense exhibits that included fraudulent emails and records.
While on release pending sentencing, he submitted false and fraudulent documents in support of requests for adjournments of sentencing based on false claims that he tested positive for COVID-19 and then suffered from COVID-related pneumonia.
In July 2022, after the court revoked his bail conditions and ordered him remanded, Panos was arrested and placed into custody. In addition to his prison sentence, he was also sentenced to three years of post-release supervision.
