Detroit News reports that Michigan AG Nessel's charges against Dr. Brazil (reported by ClickOn Detroit back in April) have made it to a plea deal.
Attorney general: Doctor collected $400,000 in disability while continuing to work
Max Reinhart | Oct 8, 2024An Oakland County doctor accused of collecting over $400,000 in disability payments while continuing to work as a paid physician has pleaded guilty, the state attorney general announced Tuesday.Dr. Rainna Furnari Brazil, 57, of Sylvan Lake, applied for and received the payments from Unum Life Insurance Company of America between 2017 and 2021, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a press release.
Brazil lied repeatedly to the insurance company, Nessel said, denying that she had been working as a physician for compensation.
Brazil pleaded guilty Monday to three counts of false pretenses of $100,000 or more, two counts of false pretenses between $20,000 and $50,000, two counts of failure to file taxes and one count of insurance fraud, the press release said.
The case was referred to Nessel's office by the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services Fraud Investigation Unit.
“Insurance fraud raises costs for all Michiganders, and we will continue to work with the attorney general to investigate and prosecute those who abuse the system for personal gain," said Anita Fox, director of the state's department of insurance and financial services fraud investigation unit.
As a condition of her plea deal, Brazil agreed to pay $458,962 total restitution. Her sentence will depend on how much of that she pays while her sentence is suspended for the next 11 months.
She paid $50,000 toward the total when she entered the plea Monday. If she pays another $100,000 within the next 11 months, she will only be sentenced on one count each of failure to file taxes and false pretenses between $20,000 and $50,000. The remaining charges would be dismissed and Brazil would serve no more than one year in jail. If she pays all the remaining restitution within the next 11 months, she will only be sentenced on a false pretense charge and could spend up to 17 months behind bars, or avoid jailtime altogether.
If she fails to pay at least $100,000 toward restitution, however, Brazil will be sentenced on all charges, Nessel said. The three more serious counts of false pretenses each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $35,000 fine.
“Fraudulent activities can harm legitimate claimants, and I am pleased that we were able to secure a just resolution in this matter," Nessel said. "My department remains committed to holding accountable those who break the law.”
MetroDetroit Today provides further details, clipped here for length.
Oakland Co Physician Pleads Guilty To Insurance Fraud
09 October 2024Pontiac, MI - On Monday, October 7, 2024, Dr. Rainna Furnari Brazil, 57, of Sylvan Lake, pled guilty to eight felony counts under a delayed sentence, in the 6th Circuit Court in Oakland County, on charges stemming from a fraudulent disability insurance claim and subsequent years of receiving fraudulent payments, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.
Brazil, a licensed osteopathic physician, applied for and received disability insurance payments from the Unum Life Insurance Company of America. ...
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The DIFS Fraud Investigation Unit investigates criminal and fraudulent activity related to the insurance and financial markets and works with the Attorney General and other law enforcement to prosecute these crimes. Suspected insurance fraud can be reported to DIFS safely, easily and, in most cases, anonymously by calling 877-999-6442 or online by visiting DIFS' website.
Brazil will be sentenced on November 25 at 10 a.m. before the Honorable David M. Cohen of the 6th Circuit Court.
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