NY Psychiatrist Ewald Antoine Loses License Following Felony Fraud Conviction

April 17, 2019

On February 22, 2019, the New York State Board for Professional Medical Conduct summarily suspended the license of psychiatrist Ewald Antoine based on a felony conviction. 

On or about August 21, 2018 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Antoine was convicted of one count of Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud, Mail Fraud, and Wire Fraud and one count of Health Care Fraud—all felonies.

According to details published by the U.S. Department of Justice, Antoine posed as the owner of two medical clinics in Brooklyn, NY — Sunlight Medical & Psychiatric Services and Coney Island Medical Services — and falsely claimed he examined and treated hundreds of patients at the two clinics.

The medical clinics were actually owned by a businessman (not physician) named Aleksandr Burman, who owned and operated six medical clinics in Brooklyn between 2007 and 2013. New York law requires medical clinics to be owned and operated by a medical professional, but Mr. Burman circumvented this requirement by hiring physicians, including Dr. Antoine, to pose as clinic owners. Dr. Antoine signed documents falsely representing to banks, Medicare, Medicaid and others that he was the sole owner of the two clinics.

He was sentenced to one year and one day in prison, to run consecutively on both counts. He is also liable for restitution of $1,825,544.00.

Source: Commissioner’s Order of Summary Action in the Matter of Ewald Antoine, M.D., BPMC No. 19-041, New York State Department of Health State Board for Professional Medical Conduct, February 22, 2019 and “New York physician gets prison time for role in $30M billing scheme,” Becker’s Hospital Review, August 22, 2018.