A Roswell doctor has been formally charged with health care fraud and tax evasion.

Lawrence Eppelbaum, 52, who owns and operates the Atlanta Institute of Medicine and Rehabilitation and a pain clinic, had his initial court appearance Monday.

In a statement, U.S. Attorney Sally Yates said, "This defendant allegedly used a purported charitable organization he controlled to manipulate the system, paying kickbacks to Medicare patients to induce them to use his medical practice for care." The indictment alleges he evaded about $1 million in federal income taxes.

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