California Department of Insurance
Sacramento chiropractor and staff busted for insurance fraud
More than $150,000 in fraudulent medical billing
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Chiropractor William Guenther, 69, of Granite Bay and former owner of Fort Sutter Chiropractic, was arraigned in Sacramento Superior Court today on eight felony counts of insurance fraud for his alleged role in a fraud scheme billing health and auto insurers for treatment services never provided.
Former in-house biller Pam Rivas, 58, of Cameron Park and office managers Cristen Jones-Hassanali, 37, of Sacramento and Stacey Fellows, 37, also of Sacramento face seven counts of felony insurance charges.
An investigation by department detectives revealed Guenther, owner and operator of Fort Sutter Chiropractic, and his staff billed several insurers for mechanical traction treatments for 50 to 70 patients per day between 2012 and 2015, when no mechanical traction units were in the office. Insurers paid $150,325 to Fort Sutter Chiropractic in fraudulent claims.
“Health insurance fraud is rampant in California, totaling billions of dollars annually and requiring consumers to pay higher premiums,” said Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. “One of the top priorities of this department is to investigate fraud, including medical provider fraud, which is often complex and costly.”
Guenther was released on $150,000 bail. Rivas, Jones-Hassanali, and Fellows are scheduled to appear in court tomorrow. This case is being prosecuted by the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.
- All suspects self-surrendered February 2, 2017
- No booking photos available
- Fort Sutter Chiropractic is under new ownership; William Guenther is no longer affiliated with the practice.
