NEWARK, N.J. (1010 WINS) —A New Jersey Amtrak employee admitted on Tuesday to participating in a three-year health care fraud scheme to defraud Amtrak, federal authorities announced Wednesday.
Anthony Saloka, 44, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
According to documents, from January 2019 through June 2022, Saloka and his co-conspirators engaged in a scheme to obtain cash kickbacks from health care providers in return for allowing them to use their personal and health insurance information to submit fraudulent claims for services that were either never provided or which were medically unnecessary.
Saloka received thousands of dollars in cash kickbacks from health care providers in return for his participation in the scheme, including from Punson Figueroa, an acupuncturist, and Michael DeNicola, a podiatrist, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna said.
Figueroa previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and was sentenced on Sept. 24, 2024 to 34 months in prison. DeNicola pleaded guilty on June 29, 2022 to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, among other offenses and his sentencing remains pending.
The Amtrak health care plan paid over $11 million as a result of fraudulent claims associated with providers connected to the health care fraud scheme.
The health care fraud conspiracy charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest.
Saloka's sentencing is scheduled for June 4.