An internal medicine doctor from the Monmouth Junction section of South Brunswick was sentenced on Nov. 8 to 33 months in prison for taking bribes in connection with a long-running and elaborate test referral scheme.
Ahmed El Soury, 45, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Federal Travel Act and the honest services wire fraud statute for accepting cash bribes in return for referring patient blood specimens to Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services LLC (BLS) in Parsippany, according to information provided by Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick.
In addition to the prison term, El Soury was sentenced to three years of supervised release and fined $7,500.
From March 2011 to April 2013, El Soury received bribes totaling more than $66,000 from BLS employees and associates. El Soury’s referrals generated approximately $650,000 in lab business for BLS, according to the statement.
The investigation has thus far resulted in 51 convictions – 37 of them doctors – in connection with the bribery scheme, which its organizers have admitted involved millions of dollars in bribes and resulted in more than $100 million in payments to BLS from Medicare and various private insurance companies. It is believed to be the largest number of medical professionals ever prosecuted in a bribery case, according to the statement.
The investigation has to date recovered more than $13 million through forfeiture. On June 28, 2016, BLS, which is no longer operational, pleaded guilty and was required to forfeit all of its assets, according to the statement.
