CATSKILL, N.Y. -- A Catskill optometrist has reached a settlement with the U.S. Attorney's Office, making a payment of $120,000 for a student loan dating to 1995 on which she allegedly made no payment prior to federal enforcement action.

According to a release from the Albany office of U.S. Attorney Richard S. Hartunian, Dr. Christine Scrodanus made the payment to settle principal, interest and fees on a defaulted Health Education Assistance Loan.

Scrodanus signed a promissory note for $61,838.03 with Sallie Mae Inc. on April 29, 1995, agreeing to repay the student loan at a variable rate of interest, according to the release.

Scrodanus failed to make any payments on the loan after completing her education and a default judgment against her was obtained on Feb. 6, 2007, for $121,646.67, which included the principal, interest and fees, according to the release.

Efforts to resolve the matter informally were unsuccessful, according to the release, as Scrodanus "failed to respond to correspondence sent to her by the government."

In 2010, the U.S. Attorney's Office took steps to exclude Scrodanus from the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Again failing to respond, Scrodanus was excluded from participation in Medicare, Medicaid, and all other federal health care programs as of July 29, 2011, after which she contacted the U.S. Attorney's Office, according to the release.

On April 6, Scrodanus submitted a check for $120,000 to resolve the loan as agreed by the federal government.

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