Texas Doctor Pleads Not Guilty to $89 Million Healthcare Fraud Charges Over Student-Athlete Heart Screens

The Justice Department charged Texas doctor Jason Finkelstein, 53, with healthcare fraud and conspiracy in an alleged $89 million scheme that billed insurers for medically unnecessary cardiovascular screening tests given to college student-athletes.

Prosecutors said Finkelstein owned and operated a Florida-based cardiovascular testing and treatment practice and worked with two unidentified co-conspirators. The alleged scheme ran from 2019 through the end of 2025.

According to the indictment, co-conspirators sent emails to college athletic trainers offering free heart screens and kickbacks for referrals. The company used sonographers lacking required credentials to perform the tests on campuses. Finkelstein is accused of submitting phony diagnoses such as elevated blood pressure and hypertension to insurers to obtain reimbursement.

He is also accused of certifying test results as normal without reviewing them. In one 2024 case, Finkelstein signed off on approximately 63 test result images after roughly 11 seconds. One patient whose results were falsely certified as normal later died after significant heart problems went undetected.

Finkelstein, who is licensed in the 48 contiguous states, pleaded not guilty during a court appearance in Florida on Monday. A lawyer for Finkelstein did not immediately return an email and phone message seeking comment. The Justice Department plans to highlight the case at a news conference on Tuesday as part of what it says are record results in a nationwide crackdown on healthcare fraud.