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TRENTON
- Attorney General Anne Milgram and Division
of Criminal Justice Director Gregory A.
Paw announced that a Bergen County man pleaded
guilty today for administering anesthesia
after his license had expired.
According
to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden
Brown, John C. Quinn, 49, of Glen Rock,
pleaded guilty before Superior Court Judge
Harry G. Carroll in Bergen County to a criminal
accusation which charged him with third-degree
theft by deception.
At the guilty plea hearing, Quinn, the former
owner/operator of Wyckoff Surgical Center
as well as Pompton Plains Surgical Center
admitted that between Oct. 31, 2002, and
Jan. 11, 2004, he committed theft from at
least 10 insurance companies. Quinn admitted
that he attempted to obtain approximately
$37,600 insurance companies by billing the
insurance companies for administering anesthesia
to at least 27 patients even though he was
not licensed to do so.
Quinn
was licensed to practice nursing in New
Jersey through August 2002, when his licensed
expired. Quinn was also certified as a Nurse
Anesthetist in January 1987, which allowed
him to administer anesthesia, but that license
had also expired. As a result of his actions, Quinn has his license to practice nursing suspended in 2004 for five years by the nursing board..
Detective
Laura Parisi, Civil Investigator Cynthia
Rome, and Deputy Attorney General Joan M.
Burke were assigned to the investigation.
Burke represented the State at the guilty
plea hearing.
This
case was referred to OIFP by the Special
Investigative Unit of the State Farm Insurance
Company which initially uncovered the fraud
and assisted OIFP in the investigation.
Prosecutor Brown thanked State Farm, Allstate,
AMICA, Cigna, Health Net, Horizon, Liberty
Mutual, MetLife, Oxford, United Health Care,
and Qualcare Insurance Companies for their
assistance in this matter.
Quinn
is scheduled to appear before Judge Carroll
on May 30 to be sentenced. Third-degree
crimes carry sentences of up to five years
in state prison, and a criminal fine of
up to $15,000. Quinn may also face civil
insurance fraud fines.
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