CLARKSBURG, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A former chief operating officer of a Morgantown medical practice has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for defrauding the company of more than $650,000.
Francisco Ortiz, 50, of Vacaville, California, was sentenced Tuesday to 36 months in prison for bank fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia.
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Court records show Ortiz diverted funds from Wedgewood Physicians, Inc. for personal use, including travel, home improvements, and online shopping.
He also used some of the money to benefit co-defendant James Mersing, a former physician with the practice. Mersing pleaded guilty and was sentenced in October 2024.
Ortiz was also ordered to pay $692,176.19 in restitution and will serve five years of supervised release after his prison term.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation handled the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Cogar prosecuted the case, and Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh handed down the sentence.
