Physical Therapist Sentenced for Obstruction and Tax Fraud Offenses

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DANIELLE FAUX, 49, of Weston, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to two years of probation, the first six months of which FAUX must spend in home confinement, for obstruction and tax fraud offenses. Judge Underhill also ordered FAUX to perform 100 hours of community service and pay a $3,000 fine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, FAUX owned and operated Danielle Faux PT, LLC, a physical therapy clinic located at 27 Lois Street in Norwalk. In August 2009, a contractor for the Medicare program conducting an audit of FAUX’s physical therapy practice contacted FAUX and requested records of 40 claims for physical therapy that FAUX had submitted to Medicare. The requested records included appropriate 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 procedures. Because no patient progress notes or similar 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 similarly 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 skimmed proceeds on her federal income tax returns. Through this conduct, FAUX avoided paying $77,640 in taxes over the four-year period.

Judge Underhill ordered FAUX to pay full restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.

On September 22, 2016, 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.

This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of the Inspector General, and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David J. Sheldon and Richard M. Molot.