Robert Desselle (genetic testing marketing operation)
Outcome
Robert Desselle was sentenced to 57 months in prison for conspiracy to defraud Medicare through an $11.5 million genetic testing fraud and kickback scheme in which marketers recruited vulnerable Medicare beneficiaries at grocery stores and pharmacies to take medically unnecessary genetic tests.
Details
Robert Desselle — $11.5M Genetic Testing Fraud and Kickback Scheme (2018–2021)
Outcome: Robert Desselle was sentenced to 57 months in prison for conspiracy to defraud Medicare through an $11.5 million genetic testing fraud and kickback scheme in which marketers recruited vulnerable Medicare beneficiaries at grocery stores and pharmacies to take medically unnecessary genetic tests.
Robert Desselle, 47, operated a marketing operation in the Tampa, Florida area that recruited Medicare beneficiaries for medically unnecessary genetic testing. Desselle and his co-conspirators convinced Medicare beneficiaries to submit to genetic tests they did not need by deploying marketers to grocery stores, pharmacies, and car dealerships to solicit patients.
Desselle paid other marketers to recruit vulnerable Medicare beneficiaries and persuade them to take the tests using deceptive methods. The resulting claims totaled approximately $11.5 million. Desselle was sentenced in Tampa to 57 months in federal prison, ordered to pay $4.5 million in restitution, and to forfeit $2.1 million in criminal proceeds.
Primary Source: DOJ: Marketer Sentenced for $11.5M Genetic Testing Fraud and Kickback Scheme
How Crucible Prevents This
The scheme used street-level recruitment of Medicare beneficiaries for unnecessary genetic tests, with kickbacks flowing between marketers and laboratories. Crucible's order-source monitoring would flag specimens arriving from non-clinical settings (grocery stores, parking lots) and the unusual concentration of genetic test orders from non-specialist referral sources.
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