Key Points;
An Indian-origin doctor has been sentenced to 14 years in prison in US.
He was convicted of healthcare fraud, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, and money laundering.
He previously served as a physician in the US Navy, and treated victims of the 9/11 attacks in New York, 2001.
A U.S. federal court has sentenced Dr. Neil K. Anand to 14 years in prison for healthcare fraud. His sentencing was announced through a US Department of justice (DOJ) notification dated 23 September 2025. He has been jailed for misrepresenting prescriptions, overprescribing drugs, and falsifying insurance claims.
Anand is an Indian-origin doctor based in Pennsylvania. He has previously served as a physician in the US Navy, and he treated victims of the 9/11 attacks in New York in 2001.
Anand was charged in 2019 and convicted in April 2025 on multiple charges: “conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, three counts of health care fraud, one count of money laundering, four counts of unlawful monetary transactions, and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances,” the notice read. Anand has also been ordered to pay over USD 2 million in restitution and more than USD 2 million in forfeiture.
According to the DOJ, Anand ran a scheme in which he submitted false claims to Medicare, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Independence Blue Cross (IBC), and Anthem, costing them $2.4 million. The claims were for “goody bags” — packages of controlled medications that, according to prosecutors, were medically unnecessary and supplied by pharmacies owned by Anand.
He was also guilty of pre-signing blank prescription forms, allowing interns without licenses to fill in controlled substance orders. Through this arrangement, his operation allegedly prescribed 20,850 tablets of oxycodone – a highly addictive opioid - to patients.
When investigators began probing him, Anand allegedly moved about USD 1.2 million into an account for his daughter, but in the name of his father. Defending his reputation, Anand’s family emphasised that he treated victims of the 9/11 attacks, claiming his “compassion for patients was unfairly criminalised.” Earlier, when charged, he had this to say: "The government is using artificial intelligence and manipulated data to prosecute me for treating chronic pain patients, turning tools meant to help into weapons against doctors."
But U.S. District Court Judge Chad F. Kenney rebuffed such claims during sentencing. “For you, their pain was your gain,” Kenney said, accusing Anand of prioritising profit over patient care. [Rh/Eth/DS]
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