Dr. Jacob Tauber of Beverly Hills and Dr. Serge Obukhoff of Malibu have been indicted by a federal grand jury for participating in a kickback scheme involving referrals to Pacific Hospital of Long Beach. Drs. Tauber and Obukhoff collectively received more than $40 million in kickbacks for operations performed at the hospital, bringing the total cost of the scheme to almost $1 billion. Dr. Tauber was also accused of illegally accepting payments to prescribe medications and order medical equipment and urine testing services.
Drs. Tauber and Obukhoff, among other doctors involved in the scheme, were referred patients by Dr. Philip Sobol, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy and interstate travel in aid of racketeering in February. Dr. Tauber was also in contact with marketer Linda Martin, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy last week. Future hearings and arraignments have not yet been decided or scheduled.