Mail fraud yields prison time

Staff report

CLEVELAND

A Canfield man has been sentenced to 38 months in prison after pleading guilty to a charge of mail fraud in a scheme to defraud a large North Canton medical practice of nearly $2.5 million.

Peter J. Luchansky, 60, who was an information-technology manager with the practice, drew the sentence Monday from U.S. District Court Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. He’ll be on supervised release for two years after prison.

The judge also ordered him to make $2,486,028 in restitution.

Between 2005 and 2014, Luchansky used two companies he had formed to fraudulently bill the medical practice for equipment and services he did not provide, according to the criminal information to which he pleaded guilty.

Luchansky has agreed to forfeit cash, jewelry, two cars, a motorcycle and 72 firearms and has made more than $2 million in restitution, the U.S. attorney said.

An FBI affidavit accompanying the charge said Luchansky was fired from his job as a Youngstown police officer in 1983 for stealing two bags of shrimp from a grocery store.