Officials hunt for Va. Beach doctor's stolen stash
NORFOLK
Authorities say a former cancer doctor convicted of stealing $1.3 million from government health insurance programs is hiding assets to avoid making restitution.
A federal prosecutor and an FBI agent went to federal court Friday to ask a judge to order that they be given access to a safe-deposit box belonging to Dr. Ronald Poulin and his estranged wife.
"We have reason to believe that money disappeared," Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Putney told the judge. He said he believes Poulin hid some of his assets.
"Our sole intent in this is to find out if he has any assets in there," Putney said. "There might be records of Swiss bank accounts."
Poulin, 63, was convicted after trial in the fall of 2009 of health care fraud and 27 counts of filing false health care statements. Poulin, an oncologist from Virginia Beach, practiced medicine for 35 years, treating some 12,000 patients.
He has appealed and is awaiting a decision by the federal appeals court in Richmond.