United States Drug Enforcement Administration

APR 26 - PORTLAND, Maine - Michael J. Ferguson Special Agent-in-Charge of the DEA’s New England Division, and Acting United States Attorney Richard W. Murphy announced that Dr. Joel A. Sabean, 69, of Falmouth, Maine, was sentenced in U.S. District Court by Judge George Z. Singal to two years in prison and three years of supervised release for tax evasion, drug distribution for other than legitimate purposes, and health care fraud. He was also ordered to pay $5,311 in restitution, file amended tax returns and pay all outstanding tax obligations. He was convicted following a two-week jury trial on November 18, 2016.

According to court records, between January 2008 and December 2013, the defendant sent over $2.3 million to a relative who resided in Florida and had her fabricate and send him phony medical bills so that he could write off about $3 million in medical expenses on his 2008 through 2012 income tax returns. From 2007 through 2014, the defendant also wrote invalid prescriptions for the relative, in her name and the names of others, for controlled and non-controlled drugs, some of which were illegally reimbursed by the defendant’s insurance company that did not cover the relative. These prescriptions were invalid because, among other things, they were issued to a close family member who was not a patient without a medical examination.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, (NH) Tactical Diversion Squad and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations.