Officials: Texas Doctor Falsely Billed for $1.4M

A South Texas physician has been indicted as part of a criminal complaint that contends he fraudulently billed for more than $1.4 million.

Prosecutors said Monday that Dr. Roque Joel Ramirez submitted claims for patients who had previously died. He’s the owner of Health Resolutions Inc. in Corpus Christi.

A federal grand jury returned the 14-count indictment last week with charges that include health care fraud and aggravated identity theft. The 48-year-old Ramirez was arrested Friday.

The indictment alleges Ramirez submitted nearly 5,000 false claims from 2008 to 2011. Prosecutors say he claimed to have treated patients when he was actually overseas. They say he billed for services that would have required him to work more than 24 hours in a day.

Attempts to reach Ramirez for comment were unsuccessful.