Federal prosecutors say a New Jersey man defrauded Medicare by convincing hundreds of senior citizens to submit to unnecessary genetic testing.
Seth Rehfuss was arrested Wednesday and charged with health care fraud. The 41-year-old Somerset man was due to make his initial court appearance later in the day.
Since July 2014, prosecutors say Rehfuss and others used a nonprofit agency known as The Good Samaritans of America to gain access to low-income senior housing complexes.
They allegedly claimed the agency helped seniors navigate federal benefit programs. But prosecutors say it was a front to present information about genetic testing.
As part of the alleged scheme, prosecutors say Rehfuss caused Medicare to pay more than $1 million to two clinical laboratories. He then received tens of thousands of dollars in commissions.