It was an afternoon of trial proceedings for defendant Sim Hoffman, M.D. in court room C-45. It was the last day before the Christmas break, December 16th 2021. Judge Richard King now discussed with the parties outside the presence of the jurors and any witness that they needed to focus on the fact this is... Read More
Sim Hoffman, M.D. Trial: Patient Delia A. leaves the stand. Nicole Sullivan from ACM then testifies.
The witness, Delia A., who was a patient at Sim Hoffman’s Better Sleeping Medical Center, returned to the witness stand after the lunch break. Today was December 16th 2021, Thursday, the last day of testimony before the holiday break lasting until January 3rd 2022. The prosecutor, Vince Marinaccio, only had one last question for the... Read More
Dr. Hoffman leaves court on November 17th 2021
Sim Hoffman, M.D. Trial – A sleep center patient, Delia A., testifies
Delia A. walked in through the passageways between the rows of blue chairs and into the court well. She was very slender, wore all black, and had short brown hair. Prosecutor Vincent Marinaccio: The People call patient Delia A. She appeared middle-aged. She was sworn in by the clerk. She sat down in the witness... Read More
Sim Hoffman, M.D. Trial: Expert witness coder Elizabeth Howard testifies.
Vincent Marinaccio: The People call Elizabeth Howard to the stand. Elizabeth Howard Stalker, a certified coder and an experienced biller, walked through the aisles of the blue chairs and through the low, wooden, swinging gate into the well area of the court bench. She had short, brown hair with highlights and wore a shiny black... Read More
Sim Hoffman, M.D. Claims Fraud Trial – Prosecution to drop 50 counts pertaining to 3D MRIs.
Two custodians of records, Cheryl Nordheim representing Matrix, and Michelle Houston of Crum & Forster, finished testifying earlier in the morning. It was December 15th, Wednesday, 2021. The jury was gone. There was no witness on the stand. Now Judge King wanted to discuss with the attorneys the motion he understood would be filed tomorrow... Read More
Sim Hoffman, M.D. Claims Fraud Trial. Next two witnesses are custodians of records.
Cheryl Nordheim was the next witness, the custodian of records representing Matrix Absence Management. She now works for Tristar Risk Management. Matrix is her prior employer. She then walked to the witness box, which is enclosed behind plexiglass, and sat down. She is a workers’ compensation compliance manager. Cheryl is an attractive, fair-skinned, full-figured woman who... Read More
Sim Hoffman, M.D. Claims Fraud Trial — Sleep doctor Robert Lebby testifies; Judge states none of the documents show a lie.
The next witness was Dr. Robert Lebby. He was a sleep doctor and pulmonologist who had evaluated data and written reports for Dr. Hoffman’s Pacific Sleep. He wore a lavender shirt, a red tie, and a dark jacket. His appearance was of young middle-age. He wrote the reports after the 2011 indictment. Dr. Hoffman closed... Read More
Sim Hoffman, M.D. Claims Fraud Trial – Custodian of records, Erik Rhedin of Markel Insurance, doesn’t find any records in his files that indicate 3D MRIs were not done.
The next witness was Erik Rhedin. He was from Markel Insurance. Markel acquired First Comp Insurance Company in 2010. Erik Rhedin worked in the special investigations unit. It was now near court day’s end on December 14th 2021. The witness answered the prosecutor, Vincent Marinaccio, that First Comp received bills for 3D imaging from Southern... Read More
