A federal jury convicted Maryland doctor Ron Elfenbein of submitting more than $15 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare and commercial insurers related to COVID-19 testing.

Elfenbein, 49, of Arnold, is now facing a maximum prison stay of 10 years and will be sentenced in November, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

He is the first doctor convicted by trial for falsely billing insurance companies for COVID-19 testing.

Elfenbein owned and operated multiple drive through COVID-19 testing sites called Drs ERgent Care, in Anne Arundel and Prince George’s Counties.

According to court documents, Elfenbein instructed his employees to bill insurance for the tests, but also for high level evaluation and management visits.

“The employees were to bill for moderately complex office visits, lasting between 30 and 39 minutes for existing patients and between 45 and 59 minutes for new patients, even though Elfenbein knew that the visits lasted five minutes or less,” the Justice Department stated.

A jury convicted Elfenbein of five counts of health care fraud.

“It is unconscionable that this defendant sought to line his own pockets during a global pandemic by grossly overbilling Medicare and other insurers for these vital healthcare services during a time of national crisis,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski said at the time of the indictment.

The case was worked on by the Justice Department’s Health Care Fraud Strike Force. Over the last three years, the organization has charged 53 defendants with fraud related to COVID-19, totaling $784 million in lost funds.