Lawrence doctor sentenced for insurance theft

Levitan kept money instead of splitting it with Beth Israel

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Dr. Lawrence J. Levitan, 58, of Auerbach Lane, Lawrence was sentenced to six months in jail, five years of probation and 1,000 hours of community service on May 29 for stealing $267,000 from Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan as he deposited the insurance checks of 706 patients into his personal bank account.

The agreement between the doctor and the hospital called for splitting the insurance payments. Instead, he kept it all, officials said.

In February, Levitan, an obstetrician, pleaded to two counts of grand larceny-third degree for stealing from the hospital and the other for theft from the state Department of Taxation and Finance.

Sentenced in Supreme Court in Manhattan, Levitan paid back $64,495, what he owed in personal income tax, along with penalties and interest.