Physician sentenced to prison for pain clinic fraud

BOSTON (AP) — A doctor convicted of fraudulently billing Medicare and dispensing narcotics to addicted patients has been sentenced to more than six years in prison.

The U.S. attorney’s office in Boston says Moustafa Moataz Ibrahim Aboshady was also ordered to pay $1.8 million in restitution Wednesday for the scheme to obtain insurance payments for medical services that were not performed.

The 36-year-old Lake Forest, California man was previously found guilty of conspiracy and making false statements in connection with health care benefit programs.

Aboshady was a medical resident at the now-defunct New England Pain Management Associates Inc.

Prosecutors say he helped another doctor operate “one of the most dangerous pain management practices” in Massachusetts.

That doctor was previously sentenced to eight years in prison.