A Columbia physician pleaded guilty in federal court on Thursday to one count of making false statements related to a health care matter. According to the United States Department of Justice, the false statements resulted in over $1.6 million being paid out by Medicare.

Health and Human Services first became aware of an issue in early 2020, when a Medicare beneficiary received an invoice for a service allegedly performed by Jerry Joseph Bruggeman, 53. A federal agent interviewed beneficiaries, all of whom indicated they didn't know who Bruggeman was and that they not had sought out his services.

According to the Justice Department, between January 2018 and December 2019, Bruggeman referred orders for genetic testing and medical equipment that affected over 1,000 Medicare beneficiaries

Bruggeman received around $29,440 between January 2018 and April 2019 for the orders he signed, the Department of Justice said.

A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.

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