Southfield doctor gets 10 years for corruption, health-care fraud
Robert Snell/ The Detroit News
Detroit— A Southfield doctor convicted of public corruption, health-care fraud and peddling prescription drugs was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday by a federal judge.
Dr. Gwendolyn Washington, 67, is the third member of her extended family to be sentenced to prison recently. Her sister, Detroit art gallery owner Sherry Washington, was sentenced last month to seven years in prison for her role in a multi-million dollar fraud involving Detroit Public Schools.
Federal prosecutors accused the doctor of writing phony prescriptions for relatives and submitting claims to Medicare for procedures received by patients who were dead.
She also was convicted along with her sister of raiding more than $3 million from the cash-strapped Detroit school district.
"Dr. Washington not only stole money from school children and from Medicare, she also exposed patients to harmful tests for her own financial gain," U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade said in a prepared statement. "We hope that this sentence deters other health care providers from stealing public funds and risking the health of their patients."
Washington told U.S. District Judge Paul Borman she performed unnecessary ultrasounds and other tests on patients between 2004 and 2010. She also said she solicited and received kickbacks from home health-care agencies and testing facilities for referring patients.
In all, prosecutors say she pocketed $350,000 in kickbacks.
She also admitted writing prescriptions for tens of thousands of doses of OxyContin and other pain medications, which were sold on the street. Her niece, Virginia Dillard, delivered the prescriptions to drug dealers.
Dillard was sentenced last month to 112 months in prison.
Washington also was convicted of helping raid more than $3 million from Detroit Public Schools and paying $150,000 in kickbacks to schools executive Stephen Hill.
The Washington sisters were partners in Associates for Learning, a vendor hired to administer a health-awareness program for district employees.
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