A Lorain County physician has been sentenced to more than five years in prison for his involvement in a scheme that aimed to fraudulently bill Medicare for over $14.5 million. Timothy Sutton, 44, of North Ridgeville, Ohio, received a 64-month prison sentence from U.S. District Judge David A. Ruiz following his guilty plea in April 2025 to charges including conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, making false statements related to healthcare matters, and aggravated identity theft. In addition to his prison term, Sutton was ordered to serve three years of supervised release and pay nearly $6 million in restitution to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
United States Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio commented on the sentencing: “Mr. Sutton deliberately lied about performing patient examinations and then used his role as a trusted medical professional to line his pockets at the expense of taxpayers. We will not tolerate those who utilize their positions of authority to defraud Medicare, or any government agency,” he said. “Thanks to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Cleveland FBI’s thorough investigations, we have put a stop to this rampant fraud and abuse of power.”
Court documents revealed that Sutton used his medical license in Ohio while working for two telemedicine companies based in Florida. These companies provided him with pre-filled orders for durable medical equipment such as braces or cancer genetic testing for him to approve electronically. Sutton claimed he had examined each patient via telemedicine before authorizing these orders; however, investigators determined that no such examinations took place.
FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge Gregory Nelsen addressed the broader impact: “Violating a position of trust and abusing the privilege of serving as a healthcare provider by willfully defrauding the government and other entities for personal gain is cruel and calculating,” Nelsen said. “When funds from programs like Medicare are not used as intended, taxpayers and people who are entitled to those funds suffer. The FBI will continue its commitment to work with our federal, state, and local partners to investigate criminals like Mr. Sutton and ensure that federally funded healthcare programs are not abused by providers.”
Once Sutton approved prescriptions or testing orders through these telemedicine companies, they were forwarded either to other businesses involved in the conspiracy or sold on to other medical entities.
Mario M. Pinto, Special Agent in Charge at HHS-OIG, stated: “When a physician knowingly violates their oath and exploits patients for personal financial gain, it erodes the very foundation of trust in our health care system,” he said. “HHS-OIG remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to safeguard taxpayer dollars and ensure that those who abuse these vital programs are held accountable.”
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General along with the FBI Cleveland Division.
Assistant United States Attorney Michael L. Collyer prosecuted the case.
Complaints about healthcare fraud can be submitted at oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud.
