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Fraud Against The Federal Social Security Administration

By Antonella Ricciardi

The United States, a country with a justice system of ironclad rules, occasionally punishes over-zealousness; but even in the U.S, sometimes there does not appear to be equal justice under the law.

In fact, although the percentage of false allegations of violence is high (often made for the sake of obtaining financial gain), we almost always turn a blind eye to them, probably to safeguard the true victims...but what can be said about the conniving doctors?

Recently, and with initial incredulity, we stumbled onto a case that, after careful analysis, seemed to belong precisely in this category; the case of neurologist Neil L. Pugach of Neurological Associates of Hampton Roads in Chesapeake, VA.

In April of 2005, Dr. Freeman E.T. (also from Chesapeake), referred a patient of his to said neurologist, with a list of symptoms half a page long, all of which were attributed to an attack which she claimed had occurred three years earlier.

We invite you to read for yourself the document published on http://www.prisonersofsilence.org/public/pugach_april_20_2005.pdf, because this is the only way you will be able to get past the initial incredulity you will experience as a result of learning about such an absurd story.

The neurologist tells of incredible acts of violence (kicks, a dislocated jaw, fractured ribs), up to the point of reporting a cerebral spinal fluid leak and a skull fracture with internal brain bleeding.

As we read further down in the document, we become a little perplexed when we discover that the woman is made to undergo an exhaustive panel of examinations and tests, but all of them result in negative findings, contradicting a many of the symptoms being reported.

The doctor declares that: "She is alert and fully oriented with intact attention and concentration, language, and recent and remote recall". In stark contrast to the loss of memory and balance the woman had complained about.

But it gets worse: an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) exam of the skull revealed negative results, casting doubt even on the skull fracture. so much so as to compel Pugach to write in his notes: "I am really not sure how to put all this together at this time".

And so Dr. Pugach continues with more exams, requesting, for example, a second MRI, this time with color contrasts, to be sure to identify a skull fracture.

But as you can read in his certificate on May 23 (readable at the URL http://www.prisonersofsilence.org/public/pugach_may_23_2005.pdf) even this MRI result is not remarkable, like other new examinations.

The doctor is forced to admit: "Regarding the episodes of getting lost, I don't have a good explanation for these at yet".

Finally, in the Nth certificate from July 21, 2005 (also at the URL http://www.prisonersofsilence.org/public/pugach_July_21_2005.pdf), the neurologist writes that the woman "She saw a gynecologist last week and he did recommend that she begin taking Synthroid"; essentially, the only thing wrong with this patient is a hormonal dysfunction (Synthroid is a hormone for thyroid dysfunction), that certainly can not be attributed to any violence.

But here comes the sudden turn of events; the woman who initially left us perplexed, then shocked, then finally indignant beyond all professional limits. On November 23rd of the same year Neil L. Pugach signed a letter also at the URL http://www.prisonersofsilence.org/public/pugach_November_23_2005.pdf, addressed "To Whom It May Concern", declaring that the woman "has permanent brain deficits"!

He even goes to the point of declaring that: "It is not medically probable that there will be any significant improvement in these symptoms over time", and therefore these conditions will "to preclude her from being able to perform any kind of work in the future".

Is Dr. Pugach schizophrenic? Perhaps. Or did he forget the negative results of all the exams that he himself conducted?

Not only has he not forgotten them, but he lied shamelessly, writing that he reached these conclusions exclusively on the basis of the symptoms recounted to him by the patient, and his 17 years of experience as a neurologist!

Now "As the result of a beating she developed a spinal fluid leak from her nose (indicating a fracture at the base of the skull)"!? But what happened to the two MRI's (one with color contrasts), both negative?

Now "She has considerable short-term memory loss"!? But what happened to the "Intact...recent and remote recall"?

The letter was addressed "To Whom It May Concern", but we are certain that you, the reader, know who such a letter would concern: The United States Social Security Administration, that the self styled neurologist, Dr. Neil L. Pugach, has swindled, in complicity with this patient.

It could be a comical story, with all its absurdity, were it not for the fact that the money that came from this swindle has been stolen from the pockets of American tax payers; that this money was intended to help real disabled victims of actual violent crimes!

In closing, we feel a duty to reassure you about the authenticity of these documents. The 6-digit numbers on the bottom right corner of each and every page are "Protocol Numbers" and were placed there by the District Attorney's Office in California who obtained the documents through the work of the detective who's name appears in the top left corner (as part of the file name).

We have tried to discover whether any developments have surfaced in Dr. Pugach's medical investigation during the period between July and November of 2005; something that could justify his spurious speculation...needless to say, Dr. Neil L. Pugach, a neurologist with 17 years experience, declined to respond to our interview request.

Even RAI 1 (one of 3 state owned networks, and the largest news provider in Italy), tried to interview him but they were denied a response by Dr. Pugach via telephone inquiry.

Sadly, we have had no better luck with the Neurological Associates of Hampton Roads, though one would hope they would be concerned about their professional reputation, especially in such a small community as Chesapeake, VA.

Two esteemed professionals, Dr. Vittorio Zingales and Professor Paolo Signorelli, have recently brought to light the swindle that we just documented for you.

It is thanks to their criminal report, that you can find on their URL http://www.prisonersofsilence.org/public/Complaint.pdf, that we too have learned about this perverse story. A report has been sent to the U.S. Social Security Administration, the District Attorney and Police Department of Chesapeake, Virginia, and finally the Medical Board of Virginia and so far it looks like only SSI a protocol number that proves the receipt of this criminal report. We hope that this is not just another case of inequality under the law!