A Columbia physician pleaded guilty in federal court on Thursday to one count of making false statements related to a health care matter. According to the United States Department of Justice, the false statements resulted in over $1.6 million being paid out by Medicare.

Health and Human Services first became aware of an issue in early 2020, when a Medicare beneficiary received an invoice for a service allegedly performed by Jerry Joseph Bruggeman, 53. A federal agent interviewed beneficiaries, all of whom indicated they didn't know who Bruggeman was and that they not had sought out his services.

Bruggeman received around $29,440 between January 2018 and April 2019 for the orders he signed, the Department of Justice said.

A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.