Search results for: covid fraud
Hospice Owner and Biller Sentenced for Roles in Hospice Fraud and Medicare Fraud Scheme
The owner of two California-based hospice companies and his biller/consultant have been sentenced to one year and a day in prison each for their roles in a $9 million hospice fraud scheme. In addition, Gayk Akhsharumov, the owner of San Gabriel Hospice and Palliative Care Inc. and Broadway Hospice Inc., was ordered to pay nearly…
Read MoreSerial Healthcare Fraudster Sentenced to 10 Years; Wife Faces 20 Years Behind Bars in Healthcare Fraud Scheme
A California man with a long history of healthcare fraud was sentenced to 10 years behind bars and ordered to pay millions in restitution as well as forfeit his interest in two residential properties and one business property in Los Angeles. His wife, who will be sentenced later this month. Imran Shams pleaded guilty to…
Read MoreNurse Practitioner Pleads Guilty to DME, Telemedicine Fraud Scheme
A little more than a month after being charged in connection with a $7.8 million telemedicine fraud scheme involving medically unnecessary durable medical equipment (DME), a Virginia-based nurse practitioner has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. Daphne Jenkins, 64, faces up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release…
Read MoreHHS-OIG Details Successes of Efforts to Curb Healthcare Fraud and Abuse in Semiannual Report to Congress
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) recently released its Semiannual Report to Congress touting its many successes but also adding that a lack of funding has resulted in an inability to go after even more healthcare fraud and abuse. “We are turning down 300 to 400 viable…
Read MoreSouth Florida Man Who Received Kickbacks in $73M Genetic Testing Scheme Pleads Guilty to Medicare Fraud
Just before his Medicare fraud trial was to start, a Florida man who helped recruit telemedicine doctors as part of a $73 million genetic testing scheme to defraud Medicare pleaded guilty to receiving kickbacks. Michael Stein admitted that he, through his company 1523 Holdings LLC, agreed to receive $50,000 per month in exchange for recruiting…
Read MoreFeds Hot on the Trail of PPP Fraud
On August 19, a Kansas chiropractor was convicted on multiple charges for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan fraud. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Timothy Dale Warren was charged with four counts of bank fraud, two counts of money laundering, and four counts of false statements. According to court documents, as owner of Titan…
Read MorePractitioner Beware: OIG Issues Telemedicine Fraud Alert
The increasing number of fraudulent schemes involving telemedicine companies prompted the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services to recently issue a special fraud alert. The alert came on the heels of a nationwide crackdown on a $1.2 billion telemedicine fraud scheme leading to charges against three dozen defendants in…
Read MoreFlorida Doctor Sentenced for Role in Sober Home Fraud
A Florida psychiatrist and medical director of two South Florida addiction treatment facilities was recently sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for his role in a fraud scheme in which he billed $112 million for services that were never provided or were medically unnecessary. After a 15-day trial in March, Jose Santiero of Miami Lakes…
Read MoreHealthcare Fraud Efforts Net $5B in FY 2021
The federal government’s crackdown on healthcare fraud resulted in more than $5 billion in judgments and settlements in Fiscal Year (FY) 2021, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Justice. It’s significantly more than the $3.1 billion recovered in FY 2020. As a result of…
Read MoreOIG Report: Genetic Tests Pose Risk for Fraud and Abuse
The use of genetic testing to determine the risk of developing certain diseases has taken off in recent years. And while they can help healthcare providers and their patients better understand the potential for future health problems and make informed decisions about their healthcare, their use also opens the door to fraud and abuse. A…
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