Neil A. Van Dyck, 64, of Roseville, pleaded guilty to health care fraud, He was a California-licensed podiatrist who operated a podiatry practice in Roseville called Placer Podiatry. Van Dyck offered “spa”-like treatments and performed routine foot care at his practice.

However, Van Dyck submitted over $2.8 million in fraudulent claims for reimbursement to Medicare, Medi-Cal, Tricare and private insurers. He falsely claimed that he performed more expensive procedures than he actually performed, or that the routine foot care that was provided was justified because of illness or symptoms that were not present.

Often times the treatments were performed by unlicensed staff sometimes when Van Dyck was not present at his practice. Additionally, Van Dyck altered a single-use skincare patch by cutting it into pieces and billed Medicare for multiple applications. In response to a request for documents from an investigator for Medicare, Van Dyck altered patients’ medical records to justify his fraudulent bills. Medicare, Medi-Cal, Tricare, and the private insurers paid Van Dyck over $1 million for his fraudulent claims.

Van Dyck is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. on January 15, 2016. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the loss or gain.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Todd A. Pickles is prosecuting the case.