Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
Dr. Alexios Apazidis, a Harvard-educated orthopedic spinal surgeon from Deer Park who lives in St. James, has been named in a federal racketeering lawsuit filed by FedEx last week in New York’s Southern District, according to Newsday. The wide-ranging RICO lawsuit alleges that Apazidis, along with two dozen other physicians, lawyers, chiropractors and radiologists, conspired to bilk the delivery company through sham lawsuits and inflated medical bills following allegedly staged motor vehicle crashes.
The lawsuit details specific incidents where Apazidis allegedly performed unnecessary spinal surgeries on drivers and passengers involved in staged crashes with FedEx vehicles, all occurring in the five boroughs. In one case on August 6, 2019, a car traveling on Linden Boulevard in Brooklyn allegedly sideswiped a FedEx vehicle, according to court records. Police photos at the scene depicted only minor damage to both vehicles, and the driver complained of only minor shoulder pain initially.
However, in subsequent weeks, the same driver reported more than 120 physical therapy and chiropractic treatments, later received trigger point and epidural steroid injections, and finally underwent surgery to his right shoulder, the suit states. On November 1, 2019, the driver—who had told hospital staff after the crash that he had no neck or back pain—was seen by Apazidis with complaints of lower back pain. Apazidis wrote that the driver’s injuries were “causally related” to the crash and recommended spinal surgery.
Months later, Apazidis performed surgery to remove pressure on the driver’s spine at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, according to the lawsuit. Despite having previously seen the driver in November, Apazidis’ March 17, 2020, surgical report stated that the driver arrived in the emergency room in acute pain and that he performed the surgery simply because he was the “on-call surgeon” on duty at the time. More than four years later, Apazidis performed spinal fusion surgery on both the driver and one of his passengers, according to two nearly identical operative reports.
The alleged staged accident scheme was perpetrated by clients of the Brooklyn-based Ikhilov Law Group and its owner, Zorik “Erik” Ikhilov, the suit contends. Drivers would target FedEx delivery trucks and stage low-impact collisions using methods known as the “swoop-and-squat,” the “drive-down” or sideswipe schemes, then exaggerate or fabricate injuries to inflate claims and drive up settlement values. “The fraudulent scheme … weaponizes state courts and medical systems to extort settlements from companies, including plaintiff, through fear of economic harm,” the suit filed by the Texas-based Willis Group states. “Defendants’ conduct reflects a calculated effort to enrich themselves at the expense of justice, equity, and human dignity.”
Apazidis, who now works with Total Spine and Sports Care on Deer Park Avenue and has an office in Westbury, has previously been accused of copying and pasting 43 virtually identical surgical reports. These documents were submitted in court filings that ask the state Office of Professional Medical Conduct to investigate whether to suspend his medical license. Apazidis has attributed the duplicative operative reports to a medical records template he was required to use while performing “standardized and highly repetitive” procedures at Nassau University Medical Center. Joshua Sussman, an attorney for Apazidis, declined to comment on the suit.
“FedEx is committed to protecting our customers and team members from fraudulent behavior,” the company said in a statement. “Safety remains our highest priority, and we have filed this litigation to address concerning patterns in certain auto accidents and medical claims.”
Location & Road Context
The alleged staged crashes specifically targeted FedEx delivery trucks operating throughout the five boroughs of New York City, with the documented incident occurring on Linden Boulevard in Brooklyn. This busy arterial road runs east-west through multiple Brooklyn neighborhoods and sees heavy commercial vehicle traffic, making it a strategic location for those allegedly orchestrating staged accidents.
Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, where the surgeries were performed, serves as the debt-ridden public safety net hospital for Nassau County. The facility has been under state oversight and has had its operations scrutinized in recent years due to financial difficulties and quality concerns.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
The RICO lawsuit represents the latest in a series of federal cases targeting what prosecutors contend is an interconnected fraud scheme involving staged motor vehicle accidents. At the time of the alleged surgeries, Apazidis was affiliated with Total Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, which has four Long Island locations and has operated Nassau University Medical Center’s orthopedics department under contract since 2007. The hospital’s new state-appointed board has launched an investigatory review of Total Ortho’s surgical cases and plans to reduce the company’s role at the facility.
Apazidis has a history of disciplinary action by state regulators. In 2015, he had his medical license suspended for 36 months and was fined $50,000 after admitting to allegations of “negligence” and “incompetence,” according to state Health Department records. The suspension was stayed, allowing him to continue practicing while on probation after paying the fine. He admitted to improperly prescribing a compounded topical gel containing ketamine, a powerful anesthetic with hallucinogenic effects, to dozens of patients, and failed to use official New York State prescription forms when distributing the medication. He also inappropriately prescribed oxycodone without meeting with or evaluating a patient.
In response to the FedEx allegations, attorney Zorik Ikhilov referred to a Facebook post stating his firm has managed three cases against FedEx in 10 years, with no findings of fraud by the courts. “Each client chose their own different doctor,” Ikhilov wrote. “Each client chose their own different surgeon. These were not made-up claims. These were real cases involving real people, and I fought for them just as I fight for every client who comes through my door.”
Broader Impact
The FedEx lawsuit follows a pattern of similar complaints filed across the country by ridesharing service Uber and comes as Governor Kathy Hochul has launched a crackdown on staged vehicle crashes that cause drivers’ insurance premiums to escalate. In August, Newsday reported on a separate lawsuit filed by Kerry Dinallo of Amityville, who contends she twice nearly died following spinal fusion surgery performed by Apazidis. Nearly two weeks after surgery, after being sent home from St. Joseph Hospital in Bethpage, Dinallo’s carotid artery ruptured from her surgical wound. Three years later, Dinallo said she can eat only baby food or yogurt, coughs and vomits daily, has twitches in her left eye and limited use of her right hand, major gaps in her memory, and suffers from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.