United States v. Rinaldi

347 F. Supp. 2d 594, 2004 WL 2830386
CourtDistrict Court, C.D. Illinois
DecidedDecember 9, 2004
Docket01-30110
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 347 F. Supp. 2d 594 (United States v. Rinaldi) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, C.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Rinaldi, 347 F. Supp. 2d 594, 2004 WL 2830386 (C.D. Ill. 2004).

Opinion

OPINION

RICHARD MILLS, District Judge.

The Defendant’s motion to withdraw his plea of guilty was denied in February 2003.

;He now seeks reconsideration of that ruling.

Reconsideration is denied.

The case will proceed to sentencing.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Defendant Sergius Rinaldi, D.M.D., a dentist specializing in orthodontics, has practiced in Central Illinois for approximately 25 years, with offices located in Springfield and Edwardsville, Illinois. His clients have included wards of the State of Illinois under the protection of — or in the custody of — the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services(“DCFS”), as well as those receiving Medicaid assistance from the Illinois Department of Public Aid (“IDPA”).

This case has a lengthy procedural history. On November 9, 2001, a thirteen-count indictment was returned against the Defendant. On March 25, 2002, the Court accepted the Defendant’s pleas of guilty' to mail fraud (Count 1) and obstruction of a health care fraud investigation (Count 13). The Defendant has not been sentenced in this case. On January 29, 2003, the Defendant filed a motion to withdraw his guilty pleas. That motion was denied by the Court on February 27, 2003. The Court reasoned that the Defendant had presented no fair and just reason which would require it to allow him to withdraw his guilty plea.

A. The Defendant’s AADD Argument

On March 19, 2003, the Defendant filed a motion asking the Court to reconsider *596 the Order and Opinion denying his motion to withdraw the guilty plea. While that motion was pending, the Defendant appealed the Court’s April 10, 2003 Order committing him to the custody of the Attorney General for a mental evaluation. One of the bases on which the Defendant initially sought to withdraw his guilty plea is that he suffers from Adult Attention Deficit Disorder (“AADD”), and that the disorder prevented him from forming the requisite criminal intent at the time of the offenses. In a report dated January 9, 2003, the Defendant was diagnosed by Robert Chapman, M.D., MBA, as having AADD. Dr. Chapman opined that the Defendant’s capacity to form criminal intent was diminished as a result of his AADD. In a report dated January 28, 2004, George Athey, Jr., Ph.D., ABPP, also opined that the Defendant is “not capable of formulating and carrying out the intent to defraud with which he has been charged.” 1

The Court ordered an additional mental evaluation because of the Defendant’s argument that he was unable to form the requisite criminal intent because of his AADD. On May 5, 2003, the Defendant filed a notice of appeal from that Order directing him to submit to a custodial mental examination. This case was stayed while the Defendant’s interlocutory appeal was pending. On December 1, 2003, the Seventh Circuit concluded that this Court’s Order for a custodial mental evaluation of the Defendant was improper. However, the Seventh Circuit determined that the Court “may invite the defendant to consent to an outpatient examination.” United States v. Rinaldi, 351 F.3d 285, 289 (7th Cir.2003).

Following the remand from the Seventh Circuit, the Defendant was given one week to inform the Court whether he consented to an outpatient examination. The Defendant did consent to such an examination. Both the Defendant and the Government filed suggestions regarding the examination procedure. In an Order entered on March 11, 2004, the Court appointed Sue Moriearty, Ph.D., ABPP, to perform a psychological evaluation of the Defendant. Pursuant to the Government’s request, the Court appointed Phillip E. Bornstein, M.D., FAPA, as an additional expert. The reports of Dr. Moriearty and Dr. Born-stein have been received by the Court. The parties have filed supplements to their briefs.

B. The Defendant’s Billing Argument

The Defendant also seeks to withdraw his guilty plea on the basis that he was informed by the Government prior to the entry of the plea that IDPA, the agency which administers the Medicaid program in Illinois, only paid for orthodontic procedures on a “fee for service” basis, requiring the practitioner to actually perform the service that is billed. IDPA has established procedures to compensate orthodontists and other medical practitioners for services provided to Medicaid recipients. It also has certain rules and regulations which were published for providers in the Medicaid program. Dental providers were required to submit invoice forms to a company which administered the Medicaid program for dental services on behalf of IDPA. Prior to March 1, 1999, the entity was Delta Dental; after that date, it was Doral Dental. These companies, or carriers, had a contract with IDPA to administer claims for dental or orthodontic ser *597 vices. Claims for children who were wards of the State of Illinois or were otherwise under the jurisdiction, custody, or protection of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (“DCFS”) were submitted to IDPA through DCFS.

The Defendant contends that he committed no crime if a “bundled fee” procedure, instead of fee for service, was a permissible method of billing. He claims that if the proper billing procedure for orthodontia was a fee for service method, then he would be expected to see the client and provide a specific service on each date billed. If the practice and billing procedure for orthodontia is a bundled fee arrangement, however, then the bills would be sent monthly for what was going to be a “flat fee” for a specified number of months. These bills would be sent and the money owed by the Medicaid program whether the patient was actually in the office on that date or during the month.

The Defendant contends that prior to pleading guilty, he believed that he had correctly billed Medicaid under this bundled fee arrangement. In his motion to reconsider, the Defendant alleges that he and counsel were convinced by the Government that the Defense position regarding the propriety of the bundled fee procedure was incorrect as a matter of law. Moreover, the Defendant states he was informed by the Government that it would provide the Defense with the “law” demonstrating that its position was correct. The Defendant alleges the Government failed to provide the promised law confirming that IDPA paid on the basis of a fee for service. He claims it was only after the Government’s failure to produce this information that he learned that IDPA paid for services with a bundled fee arrangement. The Defendant contends the bundled fee arrangement allowed the orthodontist to bill monthly whether the service was actually performed that month or in fact performed multiple times during a given month.

The Defendant alleges that the plea is invalid both factually and legally. Accordingly, he contends that he is seeking to withdraw the pleas on the basis of actual innocence.

II. ANALYSIS

A. The Legal Standard

There is no absolute right to withdraw a guilty plea.

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Related

United States v. Sergius A. Rinaldi
461 F.3d 922 (Seventh Circuit, 2006)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
347 F. Supp. 2d 594, 2004 WL 2830386, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-rinaldi-ilcd-2004.