Former President of N.J. Assoc. of Acupuncturists Hit with $10,000 Fine in Insurance Scam

New Jersey Attorney General Peter Harvey announced that the former President of the New Jersey Association of Acupuncturists and a Union County resident has been assessed a $10,000 civil penalty after pleading guilty to over billing insurance companies for patient services that were never provided.

According to Vaughn McKoy, director, Division of Criminal Justice and Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden-Brown, Andrew Rosenfarb, 32, of Westfield, Union County, was ordered by Union County Superior Court Judge John Malone to pay a $10,000 civil insurance fraud fine pursuant to the Insurance Fraud Prevention Act. Additionally, Rosenfarb was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to pay $1,530 in restitution to the State Farm Insurance Company. Rosenfarb’s professional license was suspended for one year as a result of the guilty plea.

Gooden Brown said that Rosenfarb pleaded guilty on June 16 to a criminal Accusation which charged him with Health Care Claims Fraud. In pleading guilty before Union County Superior Court Judge Walter Barisonek, Rosenfarb reportedly admitted that between Dec. 12, 2000 and Nov. 30, 2001, to submitting Personal Injury Protection (PIP) health insurance claims for several patients seeking payments for acupuncture services purportedly rendered to the patients on more than two dozen occasions.

The investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice – Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor determined that Rosenfarb provided no acupuncture services on the dates in which he claimed services had been provided. The fraudulent claims were submitted to the Encompass Insurance Company and to the State Farm Insurance Company.