Convicted felon Dr. Vladimir Gordin Jr.
Three men in Chicago-area chiropractic group sentenced in $10.8 million insurance scam
Apr 26, 2017, 6:13pm CDT
A Chicago-area chiropractor was sentenced, alongside his brother and father, to a federal prison term in connection to a billing scheme that cheated insurance carriers out of $10.8 million.
Vladimir Gordin Jr., 46, ran a chiropractic clinic in Wheeling with his father, Vladimir Gordin Sr., 70, and brother Alexsander Gordin, 34. The three men pled guilty earlier this year to healthcare fraud.
Gordin Jr. was sentenced in the federal court in Chicago to seven years; Gordin Sr. was sentenced to two and a half years; and Alexsander Gordin was sentenced to two years.
The men used the company to falsely bill the carriers for medical services that were either not provided or not medically necessary. They tried to cover the crime by fabricating patients’ medical records, according to the United States Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Illinois.
In a few instances, the patients knew of the overbilling, but were incentivized to go along with the scheme by having their deductibles met at no cost to them, according to the government. Other patients shared in a portion of the overbilling proceeds.
The Gordin Medical Center, in addition to an ultrasound service that was part of the scheme, submitted false bills totaling $28.7 million from 2006 to November 2012, causing a loss to five insurance carriers of $10.8 million, the government said. The loss includes medical claims administered on behalf of several union health and welfare funds in the Chicago area.
“As a result of the scheme, the Gordins created a medical center whose focus, for both the chiropractors and the employees, was not patient care,” assistant U.S. attorneys Heather McShain and Sarah Streicker stated in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “GMC was a front for false billing; patient care was an afterthought.”
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN & WLWT) —
A crash involving a tanker has closed parts of Interstate 75 near Main Street in Dayton.
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According to WDTN, the crash happened around 4:50 p.m Sunday. A large cloud of smoke can be seen for miles.
Dispatch said that a car driving the wrong way collided with the tanker causing the car to catch fire.
Authorities told WDTN that one person died in the crash.
Hazmat was called to the scene.
All northbound and southbound lanes were closed for hours. The northbound side opened up around 10 p.m.
Dayton Police said southbound lanes will remain closed until further notice.
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DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – Traffic will be impacted by the fiery crash Sunday on I-75 through Sunday night and into Monday.
ODOT says the ramp from Main Street to I-75 South will be closed through Monday. The ramp from State Route 4 South to I-75 South will be closed through Monday as well.
Two lanes of I-75 southbound reopened early on Monday morning. The left lanes at the scene of the crash remain closed. All northbound lanes of I-75 have reopened.
Contractors will be out overnight looking at the pavement and will need to remove any destroyed portions — then remark the road.
One person is dead after a car–driving the wrong way on southbound I-75–crashed into a gasoline tanker triggering a massive explosion that caused lanes in both directions to be shutdown for several hours.
We spoke with a man who was on scene right away. He said him and another driver tried to rescue the driver in the car, but said the flames and smoke were too powerful and he was worried of another possible explosion.
A massive fireball was seen filling the sky on I-75 in downtown Dayton.
“I knew it was bad,” witness Victoria McNeal said. “Especially, when you heard the explosions.”
That’s where a car driving the wrong way on Southbound I-75 crashed into a gasoline tanker, triggering a massive explosion. The driver of the car died in the crash, the semi-truck driver escaped with minor injuries.
Large clouds of black smoke were seen filling the air, some smoke even billowing out of storm drains nearby. McNeal says she couldn’t believe what she was watching.
“I prayed,” McNeal said. “That no one was hurt badly.”
First responders, including hazmat crews, rushed to scene just after 4:30 Sunday afternoon.
“We had quite a large scene,” Dayton Police Lt. Mark Ponichtera said. “Large explosions going on right now. Fire had to let that burn out before they were able to put foam on that.”
Both north and south bound lanes were shut down, allowing O-DOT crews to check for any damage to the interstate.
“The Department of Transportation is on-scene and they are going to make an assessment of the freeway to make sure it’s structurally sound,” Lt. Ponichtera said. “And they have representatives on-site to begin their repairs so we are able to conduct our accidents investigation and at this moment we are not able to begin to do that.” The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office has yet to release the identity of the driver
NOTUS, IDAHO -- One man was killed Sunday night after he swerved into oncoming traffic on Highway 20 and hit a semi head on.
The crash happened at about 10 p.m. near Notus.
Idaho State Police says the 20-year-old man was headed west in a 2015 Kia Optima when he crossed the center line, smashing into an oncoming semi truck. The driver of the Kia was not wearing a seatbelt, and was ejected from the car.
He died at the scene, police say. His name has not yet been released.
Both the Kia and the semi caught fire in the aftermath of the crash. The semi's driver, 47-year-old David Gates of Grangeville, was "very shaken up," but walked away with only minor injuries, police say.
The collision shut down the highway for about six hours.
Trooper Brandalyn Crapo said its not clear what caused the 20-year-old to drift into the eastbound lanes. Perhaps he was drunk or he was texting or on drugs or he suffered a medical emergency.
"Just a reminder to anyone driving a vehicle, make sure that you're seatbelted, you're paying attention to the road, make sure you're always focused on the road," she said. "It's important to get to and from your location safely."
The crash remains under investigation.
At least 13 dead in 4 states as tornadoes and floods wreak havoc in parts of South, Midwest
By Michael Edison Hayden
Deadly tornados and flooding leave at least 13 people dead
The death toll from tornadoes and storms in parts of the South and Midwest rose to at least 13 by evening Sunday, authorities said. Deaths from the severe weather were reported in Texas, Arkansas, Missouri and Mississippi.
East Texas was the worst hit, with tornadoes there killing at least four people and leaving a trail of what officials called "extensive damage" in the area. The twisters flattened homes and flipped cars and pickup trucks, according to videos and photos posted to social media.
All four deaths were in the Canton area east of Dallas, authorities said. At least 50 other people in the area were injured, the Canton Fire Department said.
"It is heartbreaking and upsetting," Canton Mayor Lou Ann Everett said, noting that the twister tore up an area 35 miles long and 15 miles wide.
The fatality toll of four updates an earlier report by authorities that five people had died.
Larry W. Smith/EPATwo women retrieve items for their neighbor from the remains of their trailer home that was destroyed when a large tornado hit the area near Canton, Texas, April 30, 2017.
In neighboring Arkansas, at least three people are dead and two missing, authorities said.
A 65-year-old woman, Christina Smith, was killed overnight by a falling tree in DeWitt, Arkansas, according to police.
In the community of Springdale, a 10-year-old girl was swept away by floodwaters and killed.
And in Dead Cove City, the fire chief, Doug Deckar, was checking water lines on a roadway during thunderstorms early Sunday when he was hit by a vehicle and killed, the Arkansas state police reported.
In Madison County, Arkansas, deputies are search for two missing children who may have been in a car swept away by floodwaters.
The car was on a low bridge near Hindsville when rising waters led the woman driver to flee. Her two children were inside. Authorities said they did not know if the children were able to exit the vehicle before the car was swept along in the flood.
Flash flooding in the state forced evacuations in some areas.
Flash flood emergencies have been declared in the following counties: Woodruff, Prairie, Jackson, Cleburne, Lonoke, Faulkner, and White County, according to the National Weather Service.
Larry W.Smith/EPACars and damaged material is seen piled up at a local car dealership that was destroyed when a large tornado hit the area near Canton, Texas, April 30, 2017.more +
(@SkySPOT97 / Micheal Lavender)The devastation in East Texas after tornadoes ripped through the area on April 29, 2017.
Further north, in Missouri, a 72-year-old woman died when the car she was in was swept off by floodwater, according to the the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Her husband tried to rescue her but was unable to, police said. The car was found later in a field.
417 Drone ImagingThis image taken on April 30, 2017, shows flooding in the Ozark area south of Springfield, Mo.
417 Drone ImagingThis image taken on April 30, 2017, shows flooding in the Ozark area south of Springfield, Mo.
417 Drone ImagingThis image taken on April 30, 2017, shows flooding in the Ozark area south of Springfield, Mo.
In Mississippi, one person was reported dead in Durant after a tree fell on a house.
Storms in the state at one point over the weekend left 23,000 people without power, the Mississippi Department of Emergency Management said. Thunderstorms also topped trees and power lines in eastern Oklahoma, while more than four inches of snow fell elsewhere in the state, according to the Associated Press
Worker Dies After Bucket Truck Overturns
April 30, 2017 8:28 PM
WAYNE TOWNSHIP, PA (KDKA) — A man died after the bucket truck he was in overturned in Wayne Township early Sunday afternoon.
It happened just after noon in the 300-block of Dutch Ridge Road.
The victim has been identified as 54-year-old James D. George, of New Castle.
According to state police, George, a Penn Power (a FirstEnergy company) worker, was elevated inside the bucket of a bucket truck to work on a utility pole. The truck became unstable, moved backwards and overturned onto its side. George fell from the bucket onto the roadway. A witness was told that it was a 30-foot fall.
George was pronounced dead at the scene.
FirstEnergy released the following statement:
“The FirstEnergy family suffered a tragic loss today. A Penn Power lineman working in a bucket truck was killed when his truck overturned. The incident took place in Wayne Township in western Pennsylvania.
Our thoughts are with his family, friends and co-workers.
Our investigation into this incident has begun, and we will cooperate fully with all public officials in their investigations, as well.”
State police continue to investigate.
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A bucket truck tipped over Sunday afternoon, claiming the life of a Penn Power worker.
Lineman James D. George, 54, of New Castle was working from the bucket of a utility truck at 327 Dutch Ridge Road in Wayne Township when the truck became unstable on the inclined roadway, according to the Pennsylvania State Police. The truck moved backward before tipping onto its side, causing George to fall and strike the road.
Two other crew members heard George yelling that the truck was moving, but were unable to do anything, according to Assistant Lawrence County Coroner R.J. Johnson, who pronounced George dead at the scene. He said the death appeared to be from blunt force trauma. An autopsy was being conducted Sunday evening.
The road remained closed at 4:30 p.m. Sunday and police said the incident remains under investigation.
The Penn Power crew had been working on a utility pole in the area Saturday night and returned Sunday, Johnson said. He said workers had shut down one lane of Dutch Ridge Road for the work. He did not know what type of problem they were working on.
The accident happened near Berean Presbyterian Church, where several members gathered in prayer for the victim.
The Wayne Township Volunteer Fire Department and Medevac Ambulance were also at the scene.
