Central Valley Optometrist Indicted for Submitting over $1 Million in False Claims to Medicare

 FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a nine-count indictment today against optometrist Carole Sachs, O.D., 76, of Delhi, charging her with health care fraud, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Sachs was an optometrist and practiced out of offices in Turlock and Modesto. Between November 2016 and February 2021, Sachs fraudulently billed Medicare for optometry services she did not provide. Sachs billed over $1 million and received over $700,000 in payments from Medicare from these false and fraudulent claims. The fraudulent claims included claims for performing ultrasounds and for placing amniotic membranes on patients’ eyes despite the fact that Sachs did not perform these procedures.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vincente A. Tennerelli and Joseph D. Barton are prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Sachs faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.