Four Amtrak Employees Plead Guilty in $11 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

The employees admitted to receiving kickbacks for fraudulent medical claims billed to Amtrak’s health plan between 2019 and 2022.

Four Amtrak employees have pleaded guilty in federal court to participating in a health care fraud conspiracy that resulted in more than $11 million in false claims to Amtrak’s employee health insurance plan, federal authorities announced.

Timothy Bogen, 60, of Hamden, Connecticut, entered his plea on January 22, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark. He was charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Three additional defendants—Quinton Johnson, 54, of Irvington, New Jersey; Gregory Richardson, 36, of Roosevelt, New York; and Dion Jacob, 51, of Brooklyn, New York—also pleaded guilty to the same charge between June and October 2025 before Judge Arleo.

The investigation and prosecution are part of a broader case involving 10 Amtrak employees and two health care providers. Six other co-conspirators previously pleaded guilty between January and May 2025. Of those, four—Kevin Frink, Michael Toal, David McBrien, and Damany Walker—have been sentenced to two years of federal probation. The remaining defendants await sentencing.

According to court records and public statements, from January 2019 through June 2022, the defendants agreed to allow their Amtrak-provided health insurance plans to be billed for services that were neither medically necessary nor ever rendered. In exchange, they received cash kickbacks from medical providers, including an acupuncturist and a podiatrist, who have also been charged and pleaded guilty.

The health care providers named in the scheme include:

• Punson Figueroa, an acupuncturist, sentenced to 34 months in prison on September 24, 2024, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

• Michael DeNicola, a podiatrist, pleaded guilty in June 2022 to multiple charges including conspiracy to commit health care fraud. His sentencing is still pending.

Each Amtrak employee involved in the conspiracy received thousands of dollars in illicit payments. The fraudulent billing ultimately cost Amtrak’s health plan over $11 million.

The maximum statutory penalty for conspiracy to commit health care fraud is 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing dates have been scheduled as follows:

• Dion Jacob: February 18, 2026

• Quinton Johnson: March 24, 2026

• Timothy Bogen: June 25, 2026

The investigation was led by special agents from the Amtrak Office of Inspector General, the Amtrak Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in New York.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine M. Romano, Chief of the General Crimes Unit, and Jessica R. Ecker, of the Health Care Fraud and Opioids Enforcement Unit, are prosecuting the case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office emphasized that the prosecution reflects a coordinated effort to root out fraud that undermines public trust and imposes financial burdens on federally supported organizations like Amtrak.