Indian-American psychiatrist accused of allegedly obtaining assets through fraud

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On August 15^th, a formal complaint was lodged against Dr. Muhammad A. Cheema of Pittsford, NY, to expedite the forfeiture of assets allegedly acquired through fraudulent means, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.

The US Attorney’s Office is pursuing the seizure of $806, 871.91 from several bank accounts held by Dr. Cheema, two vehicles, and his residence at 9 Bromsgrove Hill, Pittsford, NY, indicated the report.

Dr. Cheema is the subject of an FBI-New York State Department of Financial Services audit and investigation. He is, of course, innocent until and unless proven guilty, but if he were to be convicted, Cheema would serve an upper bound of ten years in prison and a fine of a quarter of a million dollars, according to the report’s stipulation.

The release reported that Dr. Cheema was charged by complaint with billing insurance providers exorbitantly high fees for consulting with new patients. The notes he took did not substantiate the “level of evaluation and management services for his [already] established patients,” it stated.

Dr. Cheema purportedly also submitted a medical certificate that indicated he was board-certified in psychiatric practice, which is untrue, according to the release.

The U.S. Attorney created a distinction in the report between the criminal complaint, which holds Dr. Cheema legally liable for his actions, and the civil complaint, which attempts to remove the possessions obtained through illegal behavior.