'Fake Cerner' MR fraud conspirator pleads guilty, has fatal seizure same day
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John R. Fischer, Senior Reporter | May 24, 2018
A man found guilty of selling bogus MR equipment died last week in the custody of U.S. Marshals, from what appeared to be a seizure.
Suresh Mitta, 50, of Richardson, Texas, was rushed to a local hospital Tuesday, where he died, hours after being convicted by a Missouri court for taking part in a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme. The charge was one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud against Dallas Medical Center (DMC), a Farmers Branch community hospital in North Texas.
"We are thankful to the U.S. Attorney's Office for seeking resolution in this matter and that Dallas Medical Center was able to aid in stopping the individuals involved from defrauding others," Vince Falsarella, marketing and communications manager for DMC, told HCB News.
Mitta, who also went by Suresh Reddy and Mitta Suresh, was transported by ambulance from his cell in Jackson County, Missouri, after displaying signs of what appeared to be a seizure, according to authorities. No obvious signs of trauma were found on the body.
The Richardson man had pleaded guilty earlier that day to heading a conspiracy in which he and others created a company known as Cerner LLC, to engage and fool providers into pursuing business with them under the impression that they were associated with the Missouri-based healthcare technology enterprise, Cerner Corp.
The individuals opened a bank account, registered an internet domain and leased office space in Kansas City under the Cerner name to cover their tracks with Mitta acting as chief technology officer of several entities owned and operated by co-conspirator, Albert Davis, 57, also from Richardson.
The conspirators impersonated actual employees and made up fictitious workers from Cerner Corp., the identities of which were used to communicate with one another. They also fabricated documentation, price quotes, agreements and invoices that looked like authentic Cerner Corp. documents.
The company approached DMC with claims of a newly developed MR system for sale at a price of more than $1 million. Mitta falsely presented himself as Cerner’s senior physicist in meetings with the president of DMC and its attorneys.
To promote demand for the made-up product, the conspirators set up fake email accounts for well-known cardiologists in the Dallas area, sending out messages in which they expressed excitement over the arrival of the system at DMC. They also referenced fake doctors and co-conspirators as satisfied business partners. Unbeknownst to DMC, it was actually dealing with one of Davis’ shell companies.
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