A federal jury has found Dr. David Antonio Becerril, 69, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, guilty on sixteen counts related to conspiracy, fraud, and false statements in a telemarketing health care fraud scheme. The verdict was delivered on September 29, 2025, after a trial presided over by Chief United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian in Yakima, Washington. Sentencing is scheduled for January 20, 2026. Dr. Becerril faces up to 20 years in prison.
Evidence presented during the trial showed that from February 2018 to September 2019, Dr. Becerril participated in a scheme that involved billing Medicare for unnecessary genetic tests and durable medical equipment such as braces for back, knee, shoulder, and ankle conditions. According to court documents and testimony, Dr. Becerril signed orders for these items without ever seeing or communicating with the patients involved—including deceased individuals and those lacking limbs for which braces were prescribed.
The scheme involved Real Time Physicians, LLC (Real Time), whose telemarketers contacted elderly Medicare beneficiaries to collect their personal information and beneficiary numbers. Dr. Becerril used an internet portal provided by Real Time to sign fraudulent prescriptions and attest to their medical necessity despite never having contact with the patients. These prescriptions were then sold by Real Time to testing labs and equipment companies that billed Medicare and shared proceeds with Real Time. For each prescription he certified, Dr. Becerril received $20 from Real Time.
Testimony revealed that Medicare was billed more than $3.2 million based on fraudulent prescriptions signed by Dr. Becerril; more than $1.3 million was paid out before the fraud was detected. On average, Dr. Becerril spent only 26 seconds reviewing each prescription before signing it and never declined any of the requests submitted through Real Time during the period in question.
Dr. Becerril received over $37,000 from Real Time for his role in certifying hundreds of prescriptions between February 2018 and September 2019.
In June 2022, Marc Sporn—the former owner of Real Time—was sentenced to fourteen years in federal prison for his involvement in similar schemes.
“By participating in this telemedicine fraud scheme, Dr. Becerril placed his own personal financial gain before the legitimate medical needs of patients, violating the trust of Medicare enrollees and wasting valuable taxpayer dollars,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey C. McIntosh of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG is proud to work alongside our federal law enforcement partners to investigate and hold accountable medical providers who defraud taxpayer-funded health care programs.”
“Medicare fraud is fraud against the American taxpayer. This office will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute those who would attempt to line their own pockets by defrauding the federal healthcare programs relied upon by our senior citizens, our active-duty military, and our veterans,” stated U.S. Attorney Pete Serrano. “This fraud is especially egregious as it was perpetrated by a medical doctor betraying his oath to do no harm. I want to thank our law enforcement partners, in particular the phenomenal work done for years on this case by multiple special agents with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and without whom we would not have been able to bring Dr. Becerril to justice.”
The investigation was conducted by the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General; prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorneys Courtney R. Pratten and Tyler Tornabene along with Health Care Fraud Contractor Echo Fatsis.
