Dr. Lee Kronert in his Jamestown office just two weeks after being sentenced in U.S. District Court on fraud charges. P-J photo by Eric Tichy

Never in a million years did Dr. Lee Kronert see himself as a felon.

The part-time chiropractor and former teacher at Salamanca High School has long been a self-proclaimed optimist, a born-again Christian since 1985 and someone who always prided himself on having a positive outlook on life.

But earlier this month, Kronert, 66, found himself at the whim of a U.S. District Court judge, who sentenced him to six months of home confinement, three years of post-release supervision and 100 hours of community service.

The crime: health care fraud.

Specifically, between January 2011 and December 2015, Kronert submitted false claims for reimbursement to Medicare and private insurance companies for services linked to his part-time chiropractic practice in Salamanca.

The false claims totaled about $92,000 and included bills for patient visits on dates when Kronert was traveling out of the area and bills for an individual who didn’t reside in Western New York.

Kronert was ordered to pay $59,449 in restitution.

Now knee-deep in home confinement, Kronert is seeking redemption, apologizing for his actions and hoping faith and a new lease on life will guide him to a better place.

“I don’t hold back any punches … I was in a trusted position, and I did something very wrong,” Kronert told The Post-Journal. “I wish I could tell you I made a mistake, but I didn’t. A mistake means you don’t know what you’re doing. I willfully filled in insurance forms knowing I didn’t see those people … and that’s the darn truth.”

Kronert said he may have dodged a bullet by not receiving jail time, but he still paid a heavy cost.

“I was forced to resign my teaching position in Salamanca,” he said. “I love teaching and I enjoy being around the kids. I lost that. My plan was to teach five more years and then retire. By leaving earlier, I have forfeited not only a higher scale salary, but now my lifetime pension amount is decreased dramatically. That financial loss will be over a 20- to 30-year period.”

Kronert said he spent his entire life savings to make financial restitution. He also gave up his life insurance policy.

When asked why he committed the crime, Kronert didn’t want to offer too many specifics, except the notion of “pride versus expectation.”

“I think I expected to have a bigger practice than I did … and I think my pride got to me a little bit,” he said. “But never once will you hear me say, ‘they did this to me.’ I did this to myself and I’ve got to face the repercussions.”

Indeed, Kronert, who now has a chiropractic office in the Warwick Plaza in Jamestown, as well as his office in Salamanca, is hoping he’ll continue to promote health in his patients.

While his “regulars” haven’t abandoned him in Salamanca, business in Jamestown has been slow, mostly because of his notoriety and the dreaded “felon” label attached to him, he said.

“I am a Christian and I do believe that God has a plan for our lives … and from here on out … I’m going to follow that plan,” he said. “I do believe I can land on my feet … and I do believe that God is going to give me an opportunity to start over, redeem myself and still be a productive member of society.”

Kronert, a Frewsburg resident, said he will do his best to enjoy the next six months of house arrest, and in the end, come out a better man.

“I’m going through something and I already know I’m a better man today than I was when this started five years ago,” he said. “Hopefully, I can benefit somebody else who’s thinking about the same thing or just has a defeated attitude.”

Kronert said he hopes to return to teaching math in another state and continue seeing patients.