An Allentown chiropractor was sentenced to prison for defrauding insurance companies.

In an unrelated case, he was also sentenced to prison for attacking his girlfriend and throwing her down a flight of stairs.

Dean Ziegler, 49, previously pleaded guilty to one count of insurance fraud, admitting he billed several companies for more than $6,000 of work he did not complete, according to court records.

Ziegler also previously admitted he broke his girlfriend's nose and threw her down the stairs at his business, which was at his home on the 100 block of South 14th Street.
"I believe I'm a good and caring doctor who always cares about my patients," Ziegler said today before Lehigh County Judge Maria Dantos.

"If I could change what happened, I would," he said. "I can only change myself and what lies ahead, and what lies ahead relies solely upon myself."
Ziegler was sentenced to four to 12 months for the insurance fraud and one to 11 months for simple assault. In all, he faces up to almost two years in Lehigh County Prison.

Ziegler requested house arrest or immediate work release so he could continue working until his chiropractor license is revoked.

But Dantos said Ziegler minimized his crimes in private with his probation officer. She said she did not believe he was truly remorseful.
"You're not as smart as you think you are," Dantos said.
She rejected the request for house arrest, and made him eligible for work release only after half his sentence is served.

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