A judge tossed a disgraced Manhattan gynecologist in jail for six months Tuesday for using an insurance scam to steal more than $250,000 from his former employer Beth Israel Medical Center.
“It is a very sad day when a man like the defendant has to be sentenced,” said Justice Bonnie Wittner before handing down Doctor Lawrence Levitan’s sentence. “ It’s very tragic for him and his family. He made some very bad decisions.”
Levitan, 58, of Lawrence, Long Island, was a staff doctor at the First Avenue hospital when he began illegally depositing insurance checks into his personal bank account from February 2010 to September 2012.
As part of a plea deal, Levitan copped to two counts of grand larceny in Manhattan Supreme Court in September of 2013. H must also complete 1,000 hours of community service, serve five years probation and pay full restitution.
Although Levitan made more than $500,000 a year at Beth Israel, he stole the cash to fund luxuries, according to prosecutors.
The devious doctor’s lawyer blamed a host of medical conditions for his aberrant behavior. He had a tumor removed from his brain shortly before the theft, which caused changes in his personality, defense attorney Michael Miller told the judge.
In a brief statement, Levitan apologized to his coworkers and family for his behavior before he cuffed and carted off to jail.
He turned over his medical license pending an investigation, his lawyer said.