Posts Tagged ‘kickbacks’
Diagnostic Testing Company Settles False Claims Act Case Filed by Whistleblower
Exagen, a California-based life sciences company that makes diagnostic tests for the treatment of autoimmune conditions, recently settled allegations, filed by a whistleblower, that it violated the False Claims Act by paying physicians to use its laboratory tests. The Settlement Agreement The agreement called for Exagen to pay $653,143. The case was brought under the…
Read MoreFlorida Nurse Practitioner Guilty in Healthcare Fraud Scheme
A South Florida advanced registered nurse practitioner convicted for her role in a healthcare fraud scheme that billed Medicare more than $200 million in false and fraudulent claims, faces the possibility of decades behind bars. Thousands of Fraudulent Orders Signed Elizabeth Hernandez of Homestead was indicted in April 2022 on ten counts relating to her…
Read MoreFlorida Man Pleads Guilty in Multimillion-Dollar DME Medicare Kickback Case
An Orlando, Fla. man faces up to ten years behind bars for his role in a durable medical equipment (DME) kickback scheme in which he and his co-conspirators were paid approximately $2.1 million and caused losses to Medicare and other healthcare benefit programs of at least $3.6 million. Patrick Fitchner pleaded guilty in New Jersey…
Read MorePennsylvania Lab Owner Sentenced to Prison in Illegal Kickback Scheme Involving Labs
The owner of two Pennsylvania testing labs in was sentenced to 18 months in prison, ordered to forfeit $9 million in criminal proceeds and pay more than $77 million in restitution for his involvement in an illegal kickback scheme. Ravitej Reddy pleaded guilty in 2020 to three conspiracy counts and one substantive count related to…
Read MoreFlorida Brothers Plead Guilty to $67M Genetic Testing and DME Fraud Scheme
A pair of Florida brothers pleaded guilty for their parts in a healthcare fraud scheme that bilked the federal government out of $67 million. The two were part of a larger scheme in which participants filed false claims with Medicare for genetic testing and durable medical equipment that patients did not need and that the…
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 MoreWPB Man Sentenced for Role in $7M DME Fraud, Kickback and False Claim Scheme
A West Palm Beach man was sentenced to a little more than five years in prison and ordered to pay $7 million in restitution for his part in a durable medical equipment (DME) fraud scheme. Christopher Margait pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud by fraudulently trafficking in orders for durable medical equipment such…
Read MorePharmacists, Pharmacy Owners, and Doctors Sentenced in Texas Compounding Pharmacy Healthcare Fraud Scheme
Nine Texans have been sentenced to anywhere from 18 months to 20 years for their parts in a $126 million compounding fraud scheme. The group sentenced in this healthcare fraud scheme includes three compounding pharmacy owners, a physician, two pharmacists, and three patient recruiters sentenced in this compounding pharmacy scheme. According to the U.S. Department…
Read MoreTexas Drug Testing Lab to Pay Nearly $6M to Settle Kickbacks to Marketers, False Claims Act Violations
An Austin, Texas drug testing lab agreed to pay nearly $6 million to settle allegations it violated the Federal False Claims Act by paying volume-based commissions to marketers for six years.
Read MoreFormer Florida Marketer Charged with DME Fraud, in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute, Bilking Medicare out of $100M
A former Florida resident living in Puerto Rico has been charged for his role in a $101 million durable medical equipment (DME) kickback scheme. Raheel Naviwala, 34, was charged with conspiracy to violate the federal Anti-Kickback Statute. According to court documents, Naviwala and his conspirators owned and operated several call centers (NAVIWALA Supply Companies) through…
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