a man wearing a suit, with handcuffs in his wristsA former executive at a Chicago health care company was sentenced last week to a year in federal prison—the latest development in a Medicare fraud scheme involving doctored electronic medical records that also brought down the company's in-house lawyer and a former owner.

The case illustrates the increasing scrutiny prosecutors are placing on electronic records and on “peripheral” participants in fraud schemes, health care practice lawyers said.

James Sayadzad, the former CEO of Aggeus Healthcare, also was ordered to pay nearly $1.78 million in restitution. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy in August 2016. Aggeus provided services in at least 16 different states, including Missouri. The case was prosecuted in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri in St. Louis.