Morton man poses as doctor, defrauds employer to rent private jet

PEORIA, Ill. (WAND) — A Morton, Ill. man was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay more than $3 million in restitution and fines for a scheme to defraud his former employer and file false income taxes.

Aaron J. Rossi, 41, entered into a plea agreement earlier this year in which he pleaded guilty to one count of filing a false tax return and one count of mail fraud.

At the sentencing hearing before Chief U.S. District Judge Sara Darrow, the government presented evidence that Rossi had engaged in a practice of lying and deceiving others for his own benefit during his employment at Central Illinois Orthopedic Surgery.

During trial, he admitted to taking funds from CIOS and using the money to buy personal items and services including a home theater system, a lease on a luxury vehicle, and the rent for a private jet for his bachelor party.

The government also showed that his scheme involved falsely representing himself to others, including patients, as a doctor even though he was not a licensed physician and not authorized to practice medicine. He also wrote 29 counterfeit prescriptions, one of which was falsely written in the name of a third party who, as a result, was denied entry into a cancer trial.

In imposing sentence, Judge Darrow noted that Rossi’s theft served no purpose other than his own greed and desire. She stated that he was already legally receiving a handsome salary from his former employer but stole from them to further his lifestyle.

Rossi was sentenced to 60 months in the Bureau of Prisons, to be followed by a two-year term of supervised release; imposed a fine of $1,000,000, and ordered him to pay full restitution in an amount of more than $2.2 million dollars to his former employer as well as taxes to the Internal Revenue Service and the State of Illinois’ Department of Revenue.

“This sentencing sends a clear message that deceit, and theft—especially in times of crisis—will not go unpunished,” said Ramsey E. Covington, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Chicago Field Office. “Aaron Rossi shamelessly stole from his employer, the State of Illinois, and the American public for his own personal gain during a time when many people were struggling. IRS Criminal Investigation and our law enforcement partners remain steadfast in our commitment to holding individuals like Rossi accountable while ensuring that justice is served.”