A crooked Brooklyn shrink faces a decade in jail after pleading guilty Wednesday to lying about treating veterans while he was actually vacationing in China — bilking Medicare out of more than $1 million.
Dr. Mikail Presman, who was fired from his full-time job at the Brooklyn VA Hospital, copped to the charges in Brooklyn federal court, and faces $3.6 million in fines and restitution in addition to potential prison time, prosecutors said.
Presman, 56, claimed to have treated a steady parade of patients at his home between 2006 and 2013, billing Medicare for millions, according to court papers.
But many of the visits never happened, and investigators discovered that he was gallivanting around China with his family during some of the phantom treatments.
“Dr. Presman was hired and paid by the taxpayers to treat those who sacrifice so much for our country — our injured veterans,” said US Attorney Loretta Lynch. “As alleged, by defrauding the Medicare program, he betrayed the trust placed in him and stole from the very taxpayers who paid his salary. Far from honoring their sacrifice, Dr. Presman used our veterans as a cover for deceit and fraud.”
Presman, who is free on bond, would not comment as he walked out of court with his wife and daughter.