A Virginia Beach, Va., cancer doctor was sentenced to five years and three months in federal prison for bilking Medicare and TRICARE out of $1.3 million for fraudulent billing of both services.

Dr. Ronald Poulin, 61, received the sentence after a jury last fall convicted him of one count of health care fraud, 26 counts of filing false health care statements and one count of altering records to obstruct an investigation, according to The Virginian-Pilot.

The jury found Poulin had cheated Medicare and TRICARE, a benefit system for the military and their dependents, by splitting drugs between two patients and charging for a full dose, as well as billing for patient visits when he was not in the office and billing for greater amounts of chemotherapy drugs than he used, the report stated.

In court, Poulin diverted blame to his employees at his former practice, Virginia Hematology Oncology, saying he had “to take responsibility” for their actions, adding that he “wasn’t wasteful,” The Virginian-Pilot reported.

Poulin also was ordered by a federal judge to repay $790,000. The government has already received a forfeiture order from the court, ordering the doctor to turn over the full amount of the fraud, $1.3 million, and officials have seized Poulin’s Mercedes Benz, Audi, BMW, Land Rover and his million-dollar waterfront home in Virginia Beach, the report said.

This story originally appeared in the May 2010 print edition of Insurance & Financial Advisor.