MIAMI—A federal grand jury in Miami returned an indictment charging a Texas man for his alleged role in a $60 million health care fraud, wire fraud and kickback scheme involving the submission of false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for medically unnecessary durable medical equipment (DME), genetic tests and foot bath medications.
LOS ANGELES—A South Bay woman has been sentenced to 180 months in federal prison for billing Medicare more than $24 million by submitting fraudulent claims for medically unnecessary durable medical equipment (DME)—mostly power wheelchairs (PWC)—and PWC repairs, many of which were never performed, the Justice Department announced.
SPOKANE, Washington—Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Thomas Andrew Webster, M.D., age 50, of Sylvania, Ohio, has been charged by Filing of Information on one count of Conspiracy to Violate the Anti-Kickback Statue in connection with a fraudulent medical supply scheme that targeted elderly Medicare and TRICARE beneficiaries throughout Washington and in other states.
BOSTON—A Virginia-based nurse practitioner pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston in connection with a $7.8 million telemedicine fraud scheme involving medically unnecessary durable medical equipment (DME), including orthotics such as back and knee braces.
ATLANTA—A Texas man and owner of two durable medical equipment (DME) companies has pleaded guilty to conspiracy for his role in a scheme to pay illegal kickbacks, resulting in more than $20 million submitted in claims to, and $11 million in payment from, Medicare.
ATLANTA—Brett Weiner and Valerie Desalvo have pled guilty to federal conspiracy charges for their role in buying and selling fake doctors’ orders used to obtain over $1.5 million in fraudulent payments from Medicare.
NEWARK, New Jersey—The owner of a marketing company located in India admitted his role in conspiracies to commit healthcare fraud and to pay and receive illegal kickbacks, Attorney for the United States Vikas Khanna announced.
PELHAM MANOR, New York—Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Naomi Gruchacz, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”), announced the unsealing of a five-count Indictment charging Manishkumar Patel in connection with a health care fraud and kickback scheme involving the sale of fraudulent prescriptions.
WASHINGTON—The Justice Department announced charges against a former executive at HealthSun Health Plans Inc. (HealthSun)—a Medicare Advantage organization that operates Medicare Advantage plans in South Florida—for her role in a multimillion-dollar Medicare fraud scheme.
LEXINGTON, Kentucky—Oxygen Plus, Inc., a provider of durable medical equipment (DME) based in Floyd County, Kentucky, has agreed to pay $200,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by fraudulently billing Medicare and Medicaid for respiratory devices that patients did not need or use, in contravention of those programs’ requirements.
MIAMI—A federal jury in Miami convicted a Florida man and woman for their roles in a conspiracy to defraud Medicare by billing more than $93 million for home health therapy services that were never rendered.
MICHIGAN—A federal jury in the Eastern District of Michigan convicted Yogesh Pancholi for orchestrating a $2.8 million health care fraud and wire fraud conspiracy and engaging in money laundering, aggravated identity theft and witness tampering.
BROWNSVILLE, Texas—The operators of a durable medical equipment company have been charged with defrauding Medicare, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Authorities took Maria Luisa Yzaguirre, 43, Harlingen, into custody on Aug. 30. Jeremiah Yzaguirre, 44, also of Harlingen, was arrested Aug. 22.
The 16-count indictment charges the operators with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering.
NEW YORK—Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced Anthony Cracchiolo was sentenced to five years in prison for conspiring to defraud the Medicare Program and for illegally possessing an automatic weapon as a convicted felon.
BOSTON – The owner of Conclave Media (Conclave) and Nationwide Health Advocates (Nationwide) has been charged and has agreed to plead guilty in connection with a $44 million telemedicine fraud scheme involving medically unnecessary durable medical equipment (DME), including orthotics such as back and knee braces and genetic tests.
FLORIDA—Two Florida men pleaded guilty for their roles in a scheme to defraud Medicare by submitting more than $67 million in false claims for genetic testing and durable medical equipment (DME) that patients did not need and that the defendants procured with kickbacks.
The pleas came after four days of trial in the Southern District of Florida.
LOS ANGELES—A South Bay woman was found guilty on Tuesday, June 27 of nearly two dozen felonies for billing Medicare more than $24 million by submitting fraudulent claims for medically unnecessary durable medical equipment—mostly power wheelchairs (PWC)—and PWC repairs, many of which were never performed.
CHARLESTON, South Carolina—Deeana Burr, 54, of Charleston, South Carolina, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
HOUSTON—A 47-year-old home health company owner has been ordered to prison following his conviction of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Akintunde Oyewale, Richmond, pleaded guilty Feb. 1, 2022.
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Christopher Margait was sentenced to 65 months in prison for conspiracy to commit health care fraud by fraudulently trafficking in orders for durable medical equipment (DME) such as back, knee, and wrist braces. Margait previously pled guilty to the charge and was sentenced before United States District Judge Denise Cote.
NEW YORK—Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced Matthew Taylor Witkowski was sentenced to 60 months in prison for conspiracy to commit health care fraud by fraudulently trafficking in orders for durable medical equipment (DME) such as back, knee and elbow braces. Witkowski previously pled guilty to the conspiracy charge and was sentenced before United States District Judge Denise L. Cote.
ATLANTA – Nagaindra Srivastav has been sentenced on conspiracy and kickback charges for his role in selling fraudulent doctors’ orders to his co-conspirators who used the orders to obtain more than $48 million in fraudulent payments from Medicare.
