Washington: An Indian-American neurosurgeon has pleaded guilty to a federal criminal charge of accepting approximately $3.3 million in bribes for performing spinal surgeries at a now-defunct California medical facility.
Lokesh Tantuwaya (55) of San Diego pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and to violate the federal Anti-Kickback statute.
He has been in federal custody since May 2021 after he was found to have violated the terms of his pretrial release, said the Department of Justice.
According to his plea agreement and statements at change-of-plea hearing, from 2010 to 2013, Tantuwaya accepted money from Michael Drobot, who owned Pacific Hospital in Long Beach, in exchange for performing spinal surgeries at that hospital. The bribe amount varied depending on the type of spinal surgery, federal prosecutors alleged.
