Dr. Naeem Mahmood Kohli
MEDICAL BOARD RECORD—036081966
LICENSE STATUS/DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS—License suspended after he surrendered his DEA Registration because he did not comply with federal requirements pertaining to controlled substances. 6/06/2014
Federal Officials Confirm Search Warrant Executed at Kohli’s Office
A federal official has confirmed a search warrant was executed Wednesday at the office of Dr. Naeem Kohli in Effingham.
Don White is a spokesperson for the Office of the Inspector General of the US Department of Health and Human Services. White said his office was part of a “multi-disciplinary team” that executed the search warrant. Participating agencies also included the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Illinois State Police and the Effingham City Police Department.
Without answering questions as to why the operation was conducted, White indicated that his office is responsible for programs and beneficiaries of those programs. He said that the two largest programs overseen by the agency are Medicare and Medicaid and said that 80% of their budget is earmarked for investigating Medicare and Medicaid fraud.
White said his office could “neither confirm nor deny investigations that may or may not be pending” that led to the execution of the search warrant. He said any charges that might result from such an investigation could be brought by the US Attorney’s office, the Attorney General’s office or the local State’s Attorney’s office.
White said that such executions of search warrants are not unusual, but did say he “doesn’t often see this level of co-operation” by the federal, state and local agencies involved. (LINK) — 05/09/2013
Effingham Doctor Indicted on Charges of Health Care Fraud and Illegal Dispensation of Controlled Substances
A federal grand jury sitting in East St. Louis, Illinois returned a 15-count indictment against an Effingham County doctor, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today. The indictment was opened today upon the arrest and arraignment of the doctor in Benton, Illinois.
Naeem Mahmood Kohli, 59, of Effingham, Illinois, operated the Kohli Neurology and Sleep Center, located on North Maple in Effingham, Illinois. The indictment alleges that, for some patients, Kohli did not operate a legitimate medical practice but instead was engaged in a scheme to illegally distribute controlled substances by running what was in essence a prescription service for drug addicts, commonly known as a pill mill. The indictment also alleges that Kohli defrauded Health Care Benefit Programs, namely, Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, by billing for services not provided.
In the indictment, Kohli is charged with the following offenses: (1) health care fraud in counts one through three, which carry penalties of a maximum of 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, a maximum of three years’ supervised release; (2) illegal distribution of a Schedule II controlled substances (oxycodone, hydromorphone, and methadone) in counts four through 13, which carry penalties of a maximum of 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $1,000,000, no less than three years’ supervised release; and (3) money laundering in counts 14 and 15, which carry penalties of a maximum of 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and one year of supervised release. A $100 special assessment must be imposed on each count.
An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury. (LINK) — 3/26/2014
Effingham Doctor Taken into Custody, Indicted by a Federal Grand Jury for Health Care Fraud and Drug Charges
An Effingham doctor, the operator of Kohli Neurology and Sleep Center, was taken into custody Wednesday and faces federal indictments.
In a statement released Wednesday afternoon, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Fairview Heights arrested 59-year old Dr. Naeem Mahmood Kohli on a 15-count indictment.
Central to the investigation and indictment is the accusation that Kohli has been operating what officials termed a “Pill Mill”, where prescription medication is illegally dispensed to those addicted, including Oxycodone, Hydromorphone, and Methadone, among others. The indictment indicates ten counts of illegal distribution of a controlled substance, charges that could land Kohli in prison for up to 20 years with a fine of one million dollars.
Also in the indictment are 3 counts that Kohli defrauded health care benefit programs, charges that carry with it a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. It’s alleged that he billed Medicare and Medicaid programs as well as Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Illinois for services which were not performed on patients.
The remaining 2 counts on the indictment charge Kohli with money laundering, which have a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
In May of 2013, federal officials executed a search warrant on Kohli’s office as part of their ongoing investigation.
Kohli remains custody and hearing dates have not been announced. (LINK) — 3/26/2014
Doctor From Effingham, Illinois Convicted Of Illegal Dispensation Of Controlled Substances
NAEEM MAHMOOD KOHLI, 60, of Effingham, Illinois, was convicted of seven counts of illegal dispensation of a Schedule II Controlled Substance following a 17-day jury trial held in federal district court, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today.
Kohli faces up to 20 years for each of the seven counts of illegal dispensation of a Schedule II Controlled Substance. Sentencing is scheduled forMay 20, 2015. Evidence showed that from May 2009 through May 2013, Kohli wrote prescriptions out of Kohli Neurology and Sleep Center in Effingham, Illinois for Schedule II Controlled Substances including Oxycodone and Hydromorphone, outside the usual course of medical practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose. (LINK) — 1/27/2015
Effingham, Illinois, Doctor Sentenced for Illegal Dispensation of Controlled Substances
Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that Naeem Mahmood Kohli, 61, a medical doctor from Effingham, Illinois, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $10,500 in fines as well as $700 in special assessments, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release after incarceration. Kohli was also ordered to forfeit to the United States his office building located at 500 North Maple, as well as $34,419.72, as a result of his drug convictions.
United States Attorney Wigginton stated, “The evidence heard by the jury and judge in this case established that Dr. Kohli abandoned his role as a medical professional for a price. In a community, and a nation, where medical doctors are held up as the trusted gatekeepers, Kohli, for a price, sold the keys to the pharmacy to patients with drug addictions. My office will continue to seek out those willing to peddle their professional integrity for financial gain. The abuse of prescription drugs is at an epidemic level in our communities and those responsible for putting these drugs on the street will be found and prosecuted.”
Kohli, who operated the Kohli Neurology and Sleep Center, located at 500 North Maple in Effingham, Illinois, was indicted by a Federal Grand Jury in March of 2014 and went to trial in United States District Court during January 2015. On January 27, 2015, after a 17-day jury trial, Kohli was found guilty on seven counts of illegally dispensing Schedule II Controlled Substances to patients who suffered from drug addiction. The Benton, Illinois, jury concluded that Kohli illegally dispensed Oxycodone and Hydromorphone, both highly addictive controlled substances, outside the usual course of the medical practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.
The prosecution arose from a law enforcement investigation titled Operation Doctor Feelgood. The joint law enforcement investigation focused on “pill mills” where doctors provided prescription drugs to addicts for a fee. (LINK) — 11/05/2015
