Calif. Doc Arrested in Scam

Ventura County, Calif., District Attorney Gregory Totten has announced that investigators from the District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigation has arrested Dr. Kent Pollock, 61, of Newbury Park, Calif., on a felony arrest warrant alleging the double billing of insurance companies for the treatment of individual patients.

Pollock was arrested on Oct. 18 without incident at his chiropractic office in Camarillo, Calif. The two-year investigation completed by the District Attorney’s Office Workers’ Compensation Fraud Unit and Automobile Insurance Fraud Unit included assistance from the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

The fraud scheme came to light after one of Pollock’s patients and the insurance claims adjuster reportedly discovered discrepancies in billing practices, including specific billings for days that the patient was never treated at the doctor’s office.

Further investigation reportedly revealed a similar pattern of fraudulent billing practices for other patients. The patients were being treated for a variety of injuries, including work-related injuries and personal accident injuries. The fraudulent billing practices took place between 1996 and 2003.

A five-count felony case has been filed against Pollock, including allegations of workers’ comp fraud and insurance fraud. Superior Court Judge Alan Steele authorized the arrest warrant and set bail at $50,000.

The case is pending arraignment. If convicted on all charges, Pollock faces a maximum sentence of nine years in state prison.