Minnetonka attorney pleads guilty to health care fraud conspiracy

A Minnetonka attorney pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud Monday in a U.S. District Court, according to a news release.

William Kyle Sutor III made his plea Monday. He was charged on Dec. 30.

According to the plea and court documents, Sutor engaged in a scheme to defraud insurance policy providers by working with chiropractors and patient recruiters, who are referred to as "runners."

Chiropractors would pay runners a fee, usually between $1,000 and $1,500, for each person brought to their clinics to become patients. Sutor would also pay the runners a fee, which was usually around $300, for every person that became his client, the release stated.

Sutor and the parties involved in the scheme attempted to conceal their dealings by making payments through cash or checks made out to appear as payments for legitimate legal services.

"This defendant, a personal injury attorney, participated in an all too common healthcare fraud scheme involving a network of chiropractors and runners," Minnesota U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald said in a statement. "The #1 goal of the scheme was to steal money from insurance providers, resulting in higher premiums for Minnesota consumers. This is unacceptable."

Sutor will be sentenced at a later date.