Edgard Salazar

Introduction

Dr. Edgard Salazar, a 57-year-old physician from Armonk, New York, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida on charges he conspired to bill Medicare for thousands of consultations that never occurred and millions of dollars of orthotic braces that patients did not want or need . The indictment, returned on 10 November 2026 and announced by the Justice Department two days later, charges Salazar with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and five counts of health care fraud — each carrying a maximum of ten years in prison . Prosecutors allege Salazar signed pre-filled prescriptions through a telemedicine platform for beneficiaries he never examined, never treated, and at times never even spoke to .

Background Information

According to court documents, the telemedicine company TelevisitMD allegedly allowed Salazar to sign pre-filled prescriptions for Medicare beneficiaries who did not need the orthotic braces ordered in the prescriptions . TelevisitMD was owned and operated by Christopher Harwood, who pleaded guilty in March 2026 to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud and agreed to pay $17.9 million in restitution; last month he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the conspiracy . Salazar, by contrast, remained a practicing physician until the indictment — the Justice Department’s announcement describes the scheme as one in which the doctor’s signature itself was the product being sold .

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Charged, not convicted: a federal indictment alleging $6.8 million in false Medicare claims signed by a doctor who never saw the patients.

The indictment alleges Salazar participated in submitting over $6.8 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare — thousands of telemedicine consultations billed but never performed, and millions of dollars of orthotic braces ordered for beneficiaries who did not want or need them . When Salazar did speak to beneficiaries, they told him they did not want or need orthotic braces, and he signed prescriptions for them anyway, according to court documents . He also billed Medicare for telemedicine consultations that he never performed . The charges were announced by the National Fraud Enforcement Division with the FBI’s Miami field office and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, which investigated the case .

Public Reaction and Consequences

The announcement tied Salazar’s case to the Harwood prosecution it grew out of — a 20-year sentence and $17.9 million restitution agreement for the TelevisitMD operator — signaling that the doctors who supplied signatures for the scheme are being charged alongside its architects . The Justice Department framed the case within its Fraud Division’s health care fraud enforcement and the Health Care Fraud Strike Force programme, which has charged more than 6,200 defendants since 2007 . No statement from Salazar or counsel for his defence was reported in the announcement .

Current Status

Salazar stands indicted but not convicted: the indictment is an allegation, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt . He faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison on each of the six counts if convicted . The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Owen Dunn of the Fraud Division’s Health Care Fraud Section; no trial date was announced in the release .

Impact on Their Career/Life

For a licensed physician, a federal indictment alleging prescriptions signed without examination converts a career into a pending prosecution: the six-count indictment, each count carrying a ten-year maximum, exposes Salazar to up to 60 years if convicted on all counts . The case documents the doctor-side of the TelevisitMD conspiracy that already sent its operator to prison for two decades, and places Salazar among the medical signatories federal prosecutors have pursued as the scheme’s essential enablers . His medical practice in New York now faces the fallout of charges brought in the Florida district where the false claims were submitted .

Sources

• “New York Doctor Charged in $6.8M Medicare Fraud Scheme” — Department of Justice / justice.gov, November 2026: source