NJ Doctor Admits Submitting More Than $32K In False Claims: AG

OAKLAND, NJ —An Oakland doctor faces five years in prison for submitting more than $32,000 in false insurance claims for services he never provided.

Dr. Robert Delagente, 45, pleaded guilty to second-degree health care claims fraud before Judge James Sattely in Bergen County Superior Court Thursday, said Attorney General Gurbir Grewal.

As part of the plea agreement, Delagente admitted submitting seven fraudulent claims to Blue Cross/Blue Shield of New Jersey between May and December of 2016, Grewal said.

The fraudulent claims billed the insurance company for allergy testing and immunotherapy services that Delagente did not provide to patients at North Jersey Family Medicine in Oakland, Grewal said.

State authorities will recommend Delagente be sentenced to five years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 10.

"When doctors cheat the insurance system, they’re committing a crime that drives up the cost of healthcare for everyone, including the patients they took an oath to serve," Grewal said. "The five-year prison sentence this doctor faces sends a message that New Jersey will not tolerate medical providers who abuse their professional authority for illegal gain."

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com