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Danielle Faux was sentenced to two years of probation, the first six months of which she must spend in home confinement. U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill also ordered Faux to perform 100 hours of community service and pay a $3,000 fine.
Faux owned and operated Danielle Faux PT, LLC, a physical therapy clinic at 27 Lois St. in Norwalk.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in August 2009, a contractor for the Medicare program conducting an audit requested records of 40 claims for physical therapy that Faux had submitted to Medicare.
The records requested included documentation to support the services billed, including the physical therapy progress notes, physical therapy flow sheet/activity sheets, and any additional documentation verifying medical necessity for the physical therapy.
Because no records existed that would support many of the Medicare claims, Faux instructed a physical therapist working for her to create detailed notes in the patient files that were requested in the audit, and Faux also created such records.
In addition, from 2008 through 2011, Faux skimmed checks and cash proceeds from her physical therapy practice and did not declare the proceeds on her federal income tax returns. Through this, she avoided paying $77,640 in taxes.
Underhill also ordered Faux to pay full restitution to the IRS.
On Sept. 22, Faux pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of a federal audit, and one count of making false statement on a federal income tax return.
In a related civil matter, Faux agreed to pay $50,000 to settle allegations that she and her practice submitted false records to the Medicare program in violation of the False Claims Act.
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