A Delafield man has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to pay healthcare kickbacks. Bruce Johnson, 72, was sentenced on January 30, 2026, by United States District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller for violating the Anti-Kickback Statute.
Johnson and Michael Comino co-owned Kestrel Medical LLC, an Oconomowoc-based supplier of durable medical equipment such as orthotic braces. According to court records, Johnson certified that Kestrel would comply with Medicare laws but began paying kickbacks in 2018 to companies claiming to provide marketing services. These payments were made in exchange for signed prescriptions for equipment that Kestrel then billed to Medicare.
In February 2020, Comino became a fifty percent owner of Kestrel Medical LLC. The company continued its practice of offering and paying kickbacks for doctors’ orders. As a result of the scheme, Medicare paid over $2 million to Kestrel. Before the company filed for bankruptcy, Johnson transferred $150,000 in two payments to one of Comino’s companies as part of divesting assets from Kestrel.
Judge Stadtmueller described Johnson’s actions as serious criminal conduct and emphasized the importance of deterring similar offenses. In addition to the prison sentence, Johnson must serve three years on supervised release and pay more than $2 million in restitution to Medicare. Comino previously pleaded guilty and received a sentence of 22 months’ imprisonment along with supervised release and restitution.
U.S. Attorney Brad D. Schimel said: “Fraudsters like these are stealing directly from all of us out of utter greed. As our nation debates how to make health care affordable, a critical first step is to stop fraud. Federal investigators and prosecutors have made it a top priority to get those who commit public benefits fraud locked up.”
FBI Milwaukee Special Agent in Charge Alan Karr stated: “Mr. Johnson and his co-conspirator devised a scheme to defraud the American people. This sentencing and restitution order sends a clear message that healthcare kickback schemes will not be tolerated. The FBI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to combat and prevent healthcare fraud.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, with prosecution by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Scully.
