OIG ANNOUNCEMENTS
Continued from previous page
April 2017
April 28, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Southern District of Florida
South Florida Doctor Convicted of Sixty-Seven Criminal Counts Related to Medicare Fraud Scheme
Today, a federal jury in South Florida convicted Dr. Salomon Melgen of 67 criminal counts related to his participation in a health care fraud scheme involving the filing of false claims and the inclusion of false entries into patients' medical charts.
April 28, 2017; U.S. Department of Justice
Quest Diagnostics Inc. has agreed to pay $6 million to resolve a lawsuit by the US alleging that Berkeley HeartLab Inc., of Alameda CA, violated the False Claims Act by paying kickbacks to physicians and patients to induce the use of Berkeley for blood testing services and by charging for medically unnecessary tests. Quest, which is headquartered in Madison NJ, acquired Berkeley in 2011, and ended the conduct that gave rise to the settlement.
April 27, 2017; U.S. Department of Justice
Indiana University Health and HealthNet to Pay $18 Million to Resolve Allegations of False Claims The DOJ announced today that Indiana University Health Inc. (IU Health) and HealthNet Inc., have agreed to pay a total of $18 million to resolve allegations that they violated federal and state false claims laws by engaging in an illegal kickback scheme related to the referral of HealthNet's OB/GYN patients to IU Health's Methodist Hospital. Under the settlement agreement, IU Health and HealthNet each will pay approximately $5.1 million to the US and $3.9 million to the State of Indiana.
April 27, 2017; U.S. Attorney; District of Connecticut
Torrington Woman Sentenced to 21 Months in Federal Prison for Health Care Fraud
Deirdre M. Daly, US Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that PATRICIA LAFAYETTE, 62, of Torrington, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to 21 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for committing health care fraud. Judge Bolden also ordered LAFAYETTE to serve her first six months of supervised release in home confinement, and to pay restitution of $1.6 million.
April 27, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Western District of Kentucky
Louisville Based Physician Settles Federal False Claims Act And State Civil Claims
LOUISVILLE, KY - Forrest S. Kuhn, Jr., M.D., a physician specializing in allergy, asthma and immunology with medical offices in Louisville, Danville, and Glasgow, Kentucky, has agreed to pay $751,681.16 to resolve allegations that he violated the federal False Claims Act by submitting false claims to Medicare, Medicaid, and other government health care programs, announced US Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr., who is no relation to the defendant.
April 26, 2017; Middle District of Florida
Pharmacist Pleads Guilty To Conspiracy To Pay Healthcare Kickbacks
Tampa FL - Acting US Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announces that Benjamin Nundy (39, Ruskin) today pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.
April 25, 2017; U.S. Department of Justice
Oxygen Equipment Provider Pays $11.4 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations
The DOJ announced today that Braden Partners, L.P., doing business as Pacific Pulmonary Services, has agreed to pay $11.4 million to resolve allegations against it and its general partner, Teijin Pharma USA LLC, for violating the False Claims Act by submitting claims for reimbursement to Medicare and other federal healthcare programs for oxygen and related equipment supplied in violation of program rules, and for sleep therapy equipment supplied as part of a cross-referral kickback scheme with sleep clinics.
April 20, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Western District of Missouri
Owner of Independence Clinic Pleads Guilty to Health Care Fraud Scheme
KANSAS CITY MO - Tom Larson, Acting US Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that the owner of an Independence, Mo., medical clinic pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in a fraud scheme that involved disability examinations of veterans and to making false statements regarding his role in the physical examinations of commercial truck drivers.
April 20, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Eastern District of California
Walgreen Co. Pays $9.86M to Settle Allegations of Improper Medi Cal Billings
SACRAMENTO CA - US Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced today that Walgreen Co. (Walgreens) has paid $9.86 million to resolve allegations that it violated the federal False Claims Act when it knowingly submitted claims for reimbursement to California's Medi-Cal program that were not supported by applicable diagnosis and documentation requirements.
April 20, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Central District of California
LOS ANGELES CA - The owner of The Skin Cancer Medical Center in Encino has paid the US nearly $2.7 million to resolve allegations that he submitted bills to Medicare for Mohs micrographic surgeries for skin cancers that were medically unnecessary.
April 18, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Western District of Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh Doctor and His Employee Charged with Illegal Rx Drug Distribution, Health Care Fraud
PITTSBUGH PA - Two Pittsburgh residents have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of distribution of Oxycodone, a Schedule II controlled substance, and Amphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, outside the usual course of professional practice, and health care fraud, Acting US Attorney Soo C. Song announced today.
April 18, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Northern District of Texas
Hospice Companies To Pay $12.2 Million To Settle Kickback Claims
DALLAS TX - International Tutoring Services, LLC, f/k/a International Tutoring Services, Inc., and d/b/a Hospice Plus; Goodwin Hospice, LLC; Phoenix Hospice, LP; Hospice Plus, L.P.; and Curo Health Services, LLC f/k/a Curo Health Services, Inc. have agreed to pay $12.21 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by paying kickbacks in exchange for patient referrals, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas. Curo Health Services is headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina and operates eight hospice affiliates across 18 states. In September 2010, Curo Health Services purchased Hospice Plus, Goodwin Hospice, and Phoenix Hospice, and consolidated the hospice companies under the Hospice Plus brand, which operates primarily in and around Dallas, Texas.
April 18, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Western District of Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh Doctor and His Employee Charged with Illegal Rx Drug Distribution, Health Care Fraud PITTSBUGH PA - Two Pittsburgh residents have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of distribution of Oxycodone, a Schedule II controlled substance, and Amphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, outside the usual course of professional practice, and health care fraud, Acting US Attorney Soo C. Song announced today.
April 17, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Middle District of Alabama
Dothan Woman Sentenced For Medicaid Fraud
Montgomery AL - Catrina R. Copeland, 43, of Dothan, Alabama, was sentenced to five months in prison and five months of home confinement on Wednesday, April 12, 2017 for defrauding the Alabama Medicaid Agency and the federal government, announced Acting U.S. Attorney A. Clark Morris, Alabama Attorney General Steven T. Marshall, and DHHS Office of Inspector General Special Agent in Charge Derrick L. Jackson.
April 13, 2017; U.S. Department of Justice
Detroit Podiatrist Charged for Role in $13.9 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme
A Detroit podiatrist was charged in an indictment unsealed today for his alleged participation in a $13.9 million health care fraud scheme involving fraudulent claims for unnecessary foot surgeries and other podiatric services that were never rendered.
April 13, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Southern District of Texas
Home Health Care Owners Indicted for Fraud
A Houston couple is set to appear in federal court on charges they fraudulently billed more than $24 million to Medicare through several home health companies, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez. Oluyemisi Amos, 35, and her husband Felix Amos, 66, are charged in an eight-count indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud and money laundering.
April 13, 2017; U.S. Attorney; District of Massachusetts
Adoption Counselor Convicted of Stealing Personal Information from Former Employer
BOSTON MA - A former employee of Tufts Health Plan was convicted yesterday by a federal jury in Boston of stealing the identifying information of over 3,000 Medicare customers.
April 12, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Middle District of Florida
Pharmacist Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Pay Healthcare Kickbacks Tampa, FL - Acting US Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announces that Carlos Mazariegos (40, St. Petersburg) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.
April 12, 2017; U.S. Attorney; District of Columbia
Owner of Durable Medical Equipment Company Indicted for Health Care Fraud and Related Offenses
Washington DC - Emeka H. Chijioke, 40, formerly of Atlanta, Ga., and Nigeria, has been indicted on charges alleging that he schemed to defraud the District of Columbia's Medicaid program out of more than $2 million.
April 12, 2017; U.S. Attorney; District of South Carolina
Mount Pleasant Speech Pathologist Charged in Health Fraud Scheme
Columbia, SC - US Attorney Beth Drake today announced that a Charleston Grand Jury has returned a six-count indictment charging Gena C. Randolph of Mt. Pleasant , South Carolina, with health care fraud, aggravated identity theft, and making false statements relating to health care matters. The indictment alleges that Randolph was barred from submitting Medicaid and Medicare claims in 2012 and 2013, respectively, but that she continued to do so under other provider's names or companies in which she had a hidden interest. The indictment also alleges that Randolph submitted false claims for services that had not been provided, including for patient beneficiaries who had died. The fraud charge carries a maximum prison term of ten years; the false statement charges carry a maximum 5 years in prison; and the aggravated identity theft a mandatory two years in prison. Each count carries a fine of up to $250,000.
April 12, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Western District of Virginia
Bristol, Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Healthcare Fraud
Abingdon VA - A Bristol man, who along with his wife and another woman, was accused of healthcare fraud charges, has pled guilty to related federal charges, Acting US Attorney Rick A. Mountcastle, Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring and Nick DiGiulio, Special Agent in Charge, Philadelphia Regional Office for U.S. HHS OIG announced today.
April 11, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Western District of Oklahoma
Oklahoma City OK - NORMAN REGIONAL HOSPITAL AUTHORITY d/b/a NORMAN REGIONAL HEALTH SYSTEM; GREG TERRELL; CHADWICK WEBBER, M.D.; MERL KARDOKUS, M.D.; RICK WEDEL, M.D.; GAUTHAM DEHADRAI, M.D.; BARBARA LANDAAL, M.D.; and SANJAY NAROTAM, M.D., have agreed to pay $1,618,750 to the US to settle civil claims stemming from allegations that the hospital submitted false claims to Medicare, Mark A. Yancey, US Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma, announced today.
April 10, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Western District of Wisconsin
Madison WI - Jeffrey M. Anderson, Acting US Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced today that Prestige Healthcare has agreed to pay the US $995,500 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act with regard to its role in an alleged scheme to falsely bill Medicare for unnecessary genetic testing.
April 10, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Southern District of Texas
Five RGV Residents Charged With Medicare Fraud and Illegal Kickbacks McALLEN, Texas - Five local residents have been charged following an operation conducted by the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) health care fraud task force targeting Medicare fraud and the payment of illegal kickbacks, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez.
April 6, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Middle District of Florida
Tampa, FL - U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven has sentenced Ilfrenise Charlemagne (68, Coral Gables) to 33 months in federal prison for wire fraud. She pleaded guilty on November 8, 2011.
April 5, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Eastern District of Louisiana
Acting U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that SHANNON CHRISTOPHER CEASAR, M.D., age 44, a physician and former co-owner and operator of Gulf South Physician's Group in Metairie, pled guilty today to Counts 1, 2 and 3 of a Superseding Bill of Information.
April 4, 2017; U.S. Attorney; District of Oregon
Gresham Medical Practice Manager Sentenced to Prison for False Billing and Tax Fraud
PORTLAND, Ore. - On Tuesday, April 4, 2017, US District Court Judge Robert E. Jones sentenced Anthony C. Neal to one year and one day in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Neal pleaded guilty in July 2016 to engaging in a seven-year health care fraud scheme and conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Neal was also ordered to pay $1,702,567 in restitution to Medicare, Care Oregon and several private health insurance companies and $817,378 to the IRS.
April 4, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Eastern District of Missouri
St. Louis, MO - Six area home health care workers and patients were charged with making false statements to Medicaid regarding home healthcare services that were neither received nor provided. All of the Indictments involve allegations that the defendants made false statements in Medicaid timesheets that certain patients and workers provided or received personal care services (e.g. grooming, cleaning, feeding, and medication assistance) in the home setting during certain dates and times when, in reality, the patients or workers were actually somewhere else.
March 2017
March 31, 2017; U.S. Department of Justice
Second Detroit-Area Physician Pleads Guilty in $17.1 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme
A second Detroit-area physician pleaded guilty today for his role in a $17.1 million Medicare fraud scheme involving medically unnecessary physician visits and drug prescriptions.
March 31, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Southern District of Texas
McAllen Area Durable Medical Equipment Company Owner Convicted of Health Care Fraud
McALLEN, TX - The owner of a durable medical equipment company has entered a guilty plea to defrauding Medicaid of more than $3 million, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez.
March 30, 2017; U.S. Department of Justice
Home Health Agency Owner Pleads Guilty to Conspiring in $17 Million Medicaid Fraud Scheme
The owner and operator of five Houston-area home health agencies pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud Medicare and the State of Texas's Medicaid-funded Home and Community-Based Service and Primary Home Care programs of more than $17 million. He also pleaded guilty to conspiring to launder money. These health care programs provided qualified individuals with in-home attendant and community-based services that are known commonly as "provider attendant services" (PAS). This case marks the largest PAS fraud case charged in Texas history.
March 29, 2017; U.S. Attorney; District of Maryland
Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Marvin J. Garbis sentenced Harry Crawford, age 57, of Baltimore, Maryland, on March 28, 2017, to 12 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Crawford previously pleaded guilty to collection of a debt by extortionate means from victim David Wutoh; conspiracy to commit health care fraud; and conspiracy to defraud the US, for not reporting income from the health care fraud scheme on his taxes.
March 24, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Northern District of Texas
Federal Jury Convicts Doctor of $40 Million Medicare Fraud
DALLAS - Following a five-day trial before U.S. District Judge Jane Boyle, a federal jury has convicted Noble U. Ezukanma, 57, of Fort Worth, Texas, of seven counts of health care fraud offenses, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
March 23, 2017; U.S. Department of Justice
Miami-Based Physician Charged for Role in Pain Pill Diversion and Medicare Fraud Scheme
A physician licensed in Puerto Rico, who was practicing medicine in Miami, was charged in a 16-count indictment unsealed today for his alleged participation in a multi-faceted $20 million health care fraud scheme involving the submission of false and fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicaid and the illegal distribution of oxycodone and other controlled substances.
March 23, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Northern District of Alabama
BIRMINGHAM - A federal judge today sentenced the owner of two northwest Alabama pharmacies to six month's home confinement for obstructing a Medicare audit, ordered him to pay a $2.5 million fine and prohibited him from working in a pharmacy during his year on probation.
March 23, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Western District of Wisconsin
Osceola Nutritional Supplement Provider & CEO Sentenced
Madison, Wis. - Jeffrey M. Anderson, Acting US Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Gottfried Kellermann, 76, Osceola, Wis., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to a six-month period of home confinement, a $50,000 fine, and five years of probation, for intentionally violating Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments regulations. Kellerman's co-defendant, NeuroScience, Inc., was sentenced to a five-year period of probation and a $140,000 fine for conspiring to defraud the US. The defendants pleaded guilty to these charges on October 14, 2016.
March 22, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Northern District of Illinois
CHICAGO - A Chicago chiropractor with a clinic in the West Lawn neighborhood has been indicted on federal fraud charges for allegedly submitting at least $10 million in bogus claims to Medicare and private insurers.
March 22, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Eastern District of Michigan
Two Physicians Found Guilty For Distributing Oxycodone
Dr. Anthony Conrardy, age 61, and Dr. William McCutchen, III, age 46, were found guilty yesterday of unlawfully distributing Schedule II narcotics by a federal jury in Detroit, MI, acting United States Attorney Daniel L. Lemisch announced today. Dr. Anthony Conrardy was convicted of five counts of unlawfully distributing Oxycodone and Dilaudid, and Dr. William McCutchen, III was convicted of four counts of unlawfully distributing Oxycodone.
March 17, 2017; U.S. Department of Justice
A Houston-Area registered nurse pleaded guilty today for his role in a Medicare fraud scheme that resulted in losses to Medicare of more than $5 million.
March 17, 2017; U.S. Attorney; District of Puerto Rico
Doctor Sentenced To Seven Years In Prison For Health Care Fraud
SAN JUAN, P.R. - Doctor Juan José Tull-Abreu was sentenced to serve 63 months of imprisonment for health care fraud, and a consecutive term of 24 months for aggravated identity theft, for a total term of imprisonment of 87 months, announced US Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez.
March 16, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Eastern District of Washington Spokane Area Cardiologist, Dr. Romeo Pavlic, to Pay $300,000 Resolving Alleged False Health Care Claims
Spokane, WA - Today, the US Attorney's Office (USAO) for the Eastern District of Washington announced a settlement agreement with Dr. Romeo Pavlic and various companies he owns. The settlement resolves allegations that for years Dr. Pavlic, a Spokane-area cardiologist, falsely billed Medicare and Medicaid by repeatedly and falsely claiming to have provided services and tests to vulnerable patients when in fact he had not.
March 14, 2017; U.S. Department of Justice
South Florida Home Health Owner Charged for Role in $15 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme
A South Florida home health care owner was charged in an indictment unsealed today for his alleged participation in a $15 million health care fraud scheme involving fraudulent claims for home health services.
March 14, 2017; U.S. Attorney; District of Connecticut
Stamford Dental Office Manager Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Insurance Companies
Deirdre M. Daly, US Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that ELENA ILIZAROV, 44, of Stamford, waived her right to be indicted and pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to one count of wire fraud stemming from her use of an identity theft victim's personal identifying information to submit fraudulent bills to private insurance companies offering dental insurance.
March 13, 2017; U.S. Department of Justice
Charles River Laboratories International Inc. has agreed to pay the U.S. government $1.8 million to settle claims that it violated the False Claims Act by improperly charging for labor and other associated costs that were not actually provided on certain National Institutes of Health contracts, the Justice Department announced today. Charles River is a for-profit corporation headquartered in Wilmington, Massachusetts.
March 10, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Middle District of Pennsylvania
Lancaster County Woman Guilty Of Healthcare Fraud
HARRISBURG- The US Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Tammie Sensenig, age 45, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty March 8, 2017, before US Magistrate Judge Martin C. Carlson to a criminal information charging her with healthcare fraud.
March 7, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Middle District of Florida
Tampa Man Pleads Guilty To Paying Health Care Kickbacks
Tampa, FL - US Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Anthonio Miller (26, Tampa) today pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pay kickbacks in connection with a federal health care benefit program. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.
March 6, 2017; U.S. Department of Justice California Clinic Owner Sentenced to 63 Months in Prison for Role in Occupational Therapy Fraud Scheme A rehabilitation clinic operator in Los Angeles County was sentenced to 63 months in prison today for his role in a $3.4 million Medicare fraud scheme that involved billing for occupational therapy services that were not medically necessary and not provided.
March 6, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Southern District of Texas Clinic Manager Heads to Prison for Health Care Fraud HOUSTON - The 47-year-old owner and operator of Elite P. Care Medical Services has been sentenced for her role in a health care fraud conspiracy that billed Medicare and Medicaid for more than $1 million in fraudulent health care claims, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson.
March 6, 2017; U.S. Attorney; District of New Jersey Bergen County Doctor Convicted Of Taking Bribes In Test-Referral Scheme With New Jersey Clinical Lab NEWARK, N.J. - A family doctor practicing in Bergen County, New Jersey, was convicted today of all 10 counts of an indictment charging him with accepting bribes in exchange for test referrals as part of a long-running and elaborate scheme operated by Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services LLC (BLS), of Parsippany, New Jersey, its president and numerous associates, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
March 6, 2017; U.S. Attorney; District of Vermont Brandon Woman Sentenced for Medicaid Fraud The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Misti Baker, 36, of West Rutland, Vermont, was sentenced on Friday by United States District Court Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford for healthcare fraud. Judge Crawford sentenced Baker to time served plus two years of supervised release and ordered her to pay $77,306.57 in restitution.
March 3, 2017; U.S. Department of Justice Unlicensed Medical Professional Convicted for Role in $1.3 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme A federal jury in Houston convicted an unlicensed medical professional who was posing as a physician yesterday for his participation in a $1.3 million Medicare fraud scheme.
March 3, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Southern District of Florida Two Women Plead Guilty to Orchestrating $20 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme at Seven Miami Area Home Health Agencies Two Miami residents pleaded guilty today to fraud charges stemming from their roles in a $20 million home health care fraud scheme.
March 3, 2017; U.S. Attorney; District of Maryland Biller for Medical Equipment Provider Sentenced to Four Years in Federal Prison for Health Care Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft and Defrauding the IRS by Failing to File Tax Returns Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Marvin J. Garbis sentenced Elma Myles, age 52, on March 2, 2017, to four years in prison, in connection with her role in a health care fraud scheme, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to defraud the United States for failing to file income tax returns. Judge Garbis also ordered Myles to pay restitution of $1,207,585.38 to Medicaid.
March 3, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Western District of Virginia Personal Care Attendant Pleads Guilty to Making a False Statement as it Relates to a Health Care Benefit Charlottesville, VIRGINIA - A personal care attendant, who for four years lied about the amount of hours she worked for a homebound retiree, pled guilty yesterday in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Charlottesville to federal false statement charges, Acting United States Attorney Rick A. Mountcastle and Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring announced.
March 2, 2017; U.S. Department of Justice Third Detroit-Area Physician Pleads Guilty in $5.4 Million Dollar Health Care Fraud Scheme A Detroit-area physician pleaded guilty today for his role in a $5.4 million Medicare fraud scheme involving phony physician visits and drug prescriptions. March 2, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Southern District of Texas All 12 Convicted in Health Care Fraud Conspiracy Involving Area Mental Health Centers HOUSTON - A federal jury has convicted the final defendant of 12 involved in a conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks relating to the Medicare program, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. The jury deliberated for four hours following a three-day trial before convicting Cheryl Waller, 70, of Houston, of one count of conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks and one count of receiving kickbacks.
March 1, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Southern District of New York Cardiologist, Neurologist, And Others Charged In $50 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme, And Civil Suit Filed Against Clinic And Participants In The Fraud Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), Scott J. Lampert, Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Regional Office of the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General ("HHS-OIG"), and James P. O'Neill, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department ("NYPD"), announced today criminal and civil actions relating to a 12-year scheme to defraud Medicaid, Medicare, and other private health insurance companies out of more than $50 million. Today's actions include the unsealing of an Indictment charging ASIM HAMEEDI, FAWAD HAMEEDI, MICHELLE LANDOY, DESIREE SCOTT, EMAD SOLIMAN, and ARIF HAMEEDI with, among other things, health care fraud, identity theft, and making false statements, and the filing of a civil fraud lawsuit against CITY MEDICAL ASSOCIATES, P.C., and ASIM HAMEEDI, among others, seeking treble damages and civil penalties under the False Claims Act for the fraudulent claims for reimbursement submitted by CITY MEDICAL ASSOCIATES to Medicare and Medicaid between 2003 and November 2015.
February 2017
February 28, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Northern District of Texas Sixteen Individuals Charged in $60 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme DALLAS - An indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Dallas last week, and unsealed today, charges 16 individuals with offenses related to their participation in a health care fraud scheme, announced John Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.
February 24, 2017; U.S. Department of Justice Administrator of Miami-Area Home Health Agency Sentenced to 126 Months in Prison for Involvement in $2.5 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme Today, the administrator of a Miami-area home health agency was sentenced to a 126 month prison term for his role in a $2.5 million Medicare fraud scheme.
February 24, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Southern District of Texas Jury Convicts Rio Grande Valley Area Durable Medical Equipment Company Owner of Health Care Fraud McALLEN, Texas - A McAllen federal jury has convicted the owner of an area durable medical equipment (DME) company owner on all counts for her scheme to defraud Texas Medicaid through fraudulent billings, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. The jury deliberated for six hours following a seven-day trial before convicting Maria Garza, 41, of McAllen, on all 18 counts as charged.
February 22, 2017; U.S. Attorney; District of Puerto Rico Owner Of Durable Medical Equipment Company And Three Physicians Charged With Health Care Fraud And Aggravated Identity Theft SAN JUAN, P.R. - On February 13, 2017, a Federal Grand Jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned a superseding indictment charging Dr. Dante A. Rodríguez-Rivera, Javier Efraín Siverio-Echevarría, Dr. George D. Alcántara-Cardi, Dr. Martha Nieves, Javier Antonio Aguirre- Estrada, and Carlos Maldonado-López with multiple counts of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud and aggravated identity theft. The defendants were arrested today, announced Rosa Emilia Rodríguez Vélez, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, Scott Lampert, the Special Agent in Charge of the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ("HHS-OIG"), and Douglas A. Leff, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Puerto Rico Field Office ("FBI").
February 23, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Eastern District of Pennsylvania Doctor Pleads Guilty To Selling Prescriptions Of Suboxone And Klonopin PHILADELPHIA - Dr. Alan Summers, 78, of Ambler, PA, pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him in a scheme to sell commonly abused prescription drugs in exchange for cash payments. Dr. Summers pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, distribution of controlled substances, health care fraud, and money laundering, and was announced by Acting United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Tuggle, and Special Agent-in-Charge Nick DiGuilio with Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.
February 22, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Western District of Virginia Bristol, Virginia Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Healthcare Fraud Abingdon, VIRGINIA - A Bristol woman, who along with her husband and another woman, was accused of healthcare fraud charges, has pled guilty to federal conspiracy charges, Acting United States Attorney Rick A. Mountcastle, Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring and Nick DiGiulio, Special Agent in Charge, Philadelphia Regional Office for U.S. Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General announced today.
February 16, 2017; U.S. Attorney; District of New Jersey Oncology Practice, Doctor And Practice Manager Pay $1.7 Million To Resolve Allegations They Billed Medicare For Illegally Imported Drugs NEWARK, N.J. - A Monmouth County doctor, his oncology practice, and his wife, who managed the practice, have agreed to pay the United States $1.7 million to resolve allegations that they illegally imported and used unapproved chemotherapy drugs from foreign distributors and illegally billed Medicare, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced today.
February 15, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Northern District of Georgia Atlanta-area Dentist Sentenced for nearly $1 Million in Medicaid Fraud ATLANTA - Dr. Oluwatoyin Solarin has been sentenced to one year, six months in federal prison for filing false claims with the Georgia Medicaid program totaling nearly $1 million.
February 13, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Eastern District of Texas Former CEO of Nebraska Pharmaceutical Benefits Manager Guilty in Kickback Scheme TYLER, Texas - The former CEO of a Nebraska pharmaceutical benefits manager has pleaded guilty to engaging in illegal kickbacks in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting United States Attorney Brit Featherston today.
February 10, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Southern District of Florida Plantation Physician and Physician Practice to Pay $750,000 to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Involving Medically Unnecessary Sinus and Throat Procedures Dr. Paul B. Tartell, an ENT physician practicing in Plantation, Florida and his practice Paul B. Tartell, M.D., P.L., d/b/a South Florida Sinus & Allergy Center, have agreed to pay $750,000 to resolve allegations that he violated the False Claims Act by billing for surgical endoscopies with debridement and laryngeal stroboscopies that were not provided or not medically necessary.
February 10, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Western District of Louisiana Federal jury finds Shreveport mental health facility administrator guilty of kickback scheme SHREVEPORT, La. - United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that a federal jury found a former Shreveport mental health facility administrator guilty Thursday of taking part in a kickback scheme.
February 9, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Western District of Texas El Paso Behavioral Health Facility Pays $860,000 to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Under Civil Settlement with United States Today, University Behavioral Health of El Paso, LLC ("UBH") paid $860,000 under a civil settlement with the Department of Justice to resolve allegations under the False Claims Act that the hospital paid unlawful remuneration under the Anti-Kickback Act and violated the Stark Law when it improperly paid a physician who made referrals to the hospital pursuant to a personal services agreement.
February 8, 2017; U.S. Attorney; District of Massachusetts Healthcare Sales Representative Sentenced for Obstructing Federal Investigation BOSTON - A sales representative for multiple healthcare companies was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Boston in connection with obstructing an investigation into kickbacks paid to medical professionals.
February 7, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Southern District of Florida Dr. Gary Marder and the United States Consent to a Final Judgement of Over $18 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations Gary L. Marder, D.O., a physician residing in Palm Beach County and the owner and operator of the Allergy, Dermatology & Skin Cancer Centers in Port St. Lucie and Okeechobee, and the United States of America have stipulated to a consent final judgment of over $18 million to settle False Claims Act allegations against Dr. Marder. Co-defendant, Robert I. Kendall, M.D., a physician practicing in Coral Gables, has also agreed to pay the United States $250,000 to settle allegations that he violated the False Claims Act.
February 7, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Eastern District of Pennsylvania Delaware County Podiatrist Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison for Health Care Fraud PHILADELPHIA - Today, a federal judge sentenced Stephen A. Monaco, a former podiatrist, to 97 months' imprisonment for defrauding Medicare, Medicaid and private victim insurance companies, announced Acting United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen. Defendant Monaco pleaded guilty to health care fraud on August 23, 2016, and surrendered his DEA license.
February 6, 2017; U.S. Department of Justice Healthcare Service Provider to Pay $60 Million to Settle Medicare and Medicaid False Claims Act Allegations A major U.S. hospital service provider, TeamHealth Holdings, as successor in interest to IPC Healthcare Inc., f/k/a IPC The Hospitalists Inc. (IPC), has agreed to resolve allegations that IPC violated the False Claims Act by billing Medicare, Medicaid, the Defense Health Agency and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program for higher and more expensive levels of medical service than were actually performed (a practice known as "up-coding"), the Department of Justice announced today. Under the settlement agreement, TeamHealth has agreed to pay $60 million, plus interest.
February 6, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Southern District of New York Clinic Manager Pleads Guilty In $70 Million Scheme To Defraud Medicare And Medicaid Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that EDUARD ZAVALUNOV, a manager of two health care clinics in Queens, New York, pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and health care fraud, for his role in a massive health care fraud scheme through which three medical clinics in Brooklyn and Queens submitted over $70 million in fraudulent claims to Medicaid and Medicare.
February 1, 2017; U.S. Department of Justice Former Executive of Tenet Healthcare Corporation Charged for Alleged Role in $400 Million Scheme to Defraud A former senior executive of Tenet Healthcare Corporation, was indicted for his alleged role in an over $400 million scheme to defraud. The indictment alleges that the scheme to defraud victimized the U.S. government, the Georgia and South Carolina Medicaid Programs, and prospective patients of Tenet hospitals.
February 1, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Middle District of Florida Fort Myers Urologist Agrees To Pay More Than $3.8 Million For Ordering Unnecessary Medical Tests Fort Myers, FL - United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Meir Daller, M.D. has agreed to pay $3.81 million to the government to resolve allegations that he violated the False Claims Act by causing claims to be submitted to federal health care programs for laboratory tests that were not medically necessary.
February 1, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Eastern District of Kentucky Pain Management Physician Resolves False Claims Act Allegations LEXINGTON, Ky. - Pain management physician Dr. Robert Windsor has agreed to the entry of a $20 million consent judgment to resolve allegations that he violated the False Claims Act by billing federal health care programs for surgical monitoring services that he did not perform and for medically unnecessary diagnostic tests. Dr. Windsor owned pain management clinics in Georgia and Kentucky that operated under the umbrella of National Pain Care, Inc., including clinics in Lexington, London, Somerset, Hazard, Prestonsburg, and Pikeville, Kentucky.
February 1, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Northern District of Iowa Iowa Nursing Facility, Its Ownership, and Its Management Agree to Pay $100,000 to Resolve Allegations that Residents Received Worthless Care The Abbey of Le Mars, Inc., and other individuals with financial interests in the Abbey's operations, agreed to pay $100,000 to settle allegations they violated the False Claims Act by submitting or causing claims to be submitted to Medicaid when the care provided to nursing facility residents was so grossly substandard that the care was worthless and effectively without value.
January 2017
January 31, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Southern District of Texas Seven Sentenced in $6 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme HOUSTON - The final seven of eight convicted in a $6 million fraudulent Medicare billing scheme have been ordered to federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson.
January 31, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Southern District of Texas San Benito Man Heads to Prison for Posing as Licensed Vocational Nurse McALLEN, Texas - A San Benito man has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of aggravated identity theft, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Juan Manuel Perez, 36, pleaded guilty Nov. 3, 2016.
January 27, 2017; U.S. Department of Justice
Three individuals pleaded guilty this week in connection with a health care fraud scheme involving two Brooklyn, New York clinics that caused approximately $55 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicaid.
January 27, 2017; District of Idaho
Fruitland Woman Pleads Guilty During Trial to Health Care Fraud and Aggravated Identity
BOISE - Cherie R. Dillon, 61, of Fruitland, Idaho, pleaded guilty today to 24 counts of health care fraud and 24 corresponding counts of aggravated identity theft for fraudulently billing dental services to health care benefit programs, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Dillon was indicted on February 9, 2016, by a federal grand jury in Boise. Dillon's plea came at the close of the government's case after four days of trial in front of Chief U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill.
January 25, 2017; U.S. Department of Justice
Two owners of psychological services companies, one of whom was a clinical psychologist, were convicted yesterday for their involvement in a $25.2 million Medicare fraud scheme carried out through eight companies at nursing homes in four states in the Southeastern United States.
January 25, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Central District of Illinois
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - A Chicago man has been sentenced to five years in prison for fraudulent overbilling an estimated $4.7 million to Illinois' Medicaid program for non-emergency medical transport. Gregory D. Toran, 68, of Hazel Crest, Ill., was also ordered to pay $4.7 million in restitution. U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough, who sentenced Toran on Jan. 23, allowed Toran to remain on bond until the federal Bureau of Prisons directs him to self-report to a prison facility to begin his prison sentence.
January 25, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Southern District of Texas
Jury Convicts Local Doctor in $13 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme
HOUSTON - The final defendant charged in a $13 million Medicare and Medicaid health care fraud case has been found guilty on all eight counts as charged, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. A federal jury convicted Dr. Faiz Ahmed, 64, of Houston, today following a six-day trial and approximately five hours of deliberations.
January 23, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Northern District of Ohio
Mother and son convicted of $7 million healthcare fraud scheme
A mother and son were convicted of crimes related to a $7 million home healthcare fraud conspiracy in which they provided forged documents and fraudulent forms to bill for services that were not provided.
January 23, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Eastern District of Texas U.S. Intervenes in East Texas False Claims Act Lawsuit Alleging Kickbacks for Ambulance Services SHERMAN, Texas - The US has filed a complaint intervening in an alleged kickback scheme in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.
January 20, 2017; U.S. Attorney; District of Minnesota
US Attorney Andrew M. Luger today announced an indictment charging FOZIA SHEIK ALI, 50, for fraudulently obtaining at least hundreds of thousands of dollars for child care services that had not been provided. ALI is charged with wire fraud and theft of public money. The indictment was unsealed late yesterday in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minn.
January 20, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Southern District of Texas
Rio Grande Valley Area Doctor Charged in Illegal Kickback Scheme
McALLEN, Texas - A Rio Grande Valley area doctor has been taken into custody for his scheme to solicit and obtain illegal kickbacks in exchange for Medicare patient referrals, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson.
January 19, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Eastern District of Pennsylvania University Of Pennsylvania Health System Agrees To Settle Voluntary Disclosure Of Improper Medicare Billing For Unnecessary Stent Procedures
The US announces that it has settled allegations under the False Claims Act with the University of Pennsylvania Health System ("UPHS") for improperly billing Medicare for stent procedures two interventional cardiologists performed at Pennsylvania Hospital between 2008 and 2012. UPHS voluntarily disclosed the allegations to the U.S. Attorney's Office and has agreed to pay $845,000 to resolve the matter. The cardiologists no longer work at Pennsylvania Hospital.
January 19, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Southern District of New York Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces $50 Million Settlement With Walgreens For Paying Kickbacks To Induce Beneficiaries Of Government Healthcare Programs To Fill Their Prescriptions At Walgreens' Pharmacies
Preet Bharara, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Scott J. Lampert, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Office of the U.S. DHHS-OIG, and Craig Rupert, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Field Office of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General ("DoD-OIG"), announced today a $50 million settlement in a civil fraud lawsuit against WALGREEN CO. ("WALGREENS"), a nationwide retail pharmacy chain that owns and operates thousands of retail pharmacies throughout the US. The settlement resolves claims that WALGREENS violated the federal Anti-Kickback Statute ("AKS") and False Claims Act ("FCA") by enrolling hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries of government healthcare programs ("government beneficiaries") in its Prescription Savings Club program ("PSC program").
January 19, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Southern District of Texas
Another RGV Durable Medical Equipment Company Owner Indicted for Health Care Fraud
McALLEN, Texas - The owner of a Rio Grande Valley area durable medical equipment (DME) company has been arrested for her scheme to defraud Texas Medicaid through fraudulent billings, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson.
January 18, 2017; U.S. Attorney; District of New Jersey
NEWARK, N.J. - A Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 20 months in prison for bribing a doctor in exchange for test referrals as part of a long-running and elaborate scheme operated by Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services LLC (BLS), of Parsippany, New Jersey, its president and numerous associates, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
January 17, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Western District of Missouri
Former Physician Pleads Guilty to Health Care Fraud Scheme
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a former Kansas City, Mo., physician who lost his medical license due to an earlier fraud scheme, pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in a fraud scheme that involved disability examinations of veterans.
January 13, 2017; U.S. Attorney; District of Kansas Medical Imaging Provider Sentenced for Federal Health Care Fraud
TOPEKA, KAN. B A man who owned a medical imaging business was sentenced Thursday to 18 months in federal prison for health care fraud, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said. In addition, the defendant was ordered to pay more than $1.5 million in restitution to Medicare and Medicaid.
January 13, 2017; U.S. Department of Justice
Medstar Ambulance Inc., including four subsidiary companies and its two owners, Nicholas and Gregory Melehov, have agreed to pay $12.7 million to resolve allegations that the Massachusetts-based ambulance company knowingly submitted false claims to Medicare, the Department of Justice announced today.
January 12, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Eastern District of Washington Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation Enter Into False Claims Act and Voluntary Compliance Agreements Regarding Challenged Youth Counseling Services
Spokane, WA - Today, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (CCT) and the USA, acting through the US DOJ and on behalf of the OIG DHHS, announced a voluntary settlement agreement reached by the parties relative to allegations that the Colville Tribes submitted false claims to Medicaid seeking the reimbursement of mental health counseling services that was purportedly provided by the Tribe's Behavioral Health Unit - Youth Counseling services.
January 12, 2017; U.S. Department of Justice
Home Health Agency Administrator Pleads Guilty in $7.8 Million Medicaid Fraud
The administrator of five Houston-area home health agencies pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud the State of Texas' Medicaid-funded Home and Community-Based Service and the Primary Home Care Programs of more than $7.8 million. These programs provide qualified individuals with in-home attendant and community-based services that are known commonly as "provider attendant services" (PAS), and this case marks the largest PAS fraud case charged in Texas history.
January 12, 2017; U.S. Attorney; District of Connecticut
Connecticut Home Health Agency and its Owners Pay $5.25 Million to Settle False Claims Act Violations US Attorney Deirdre M. Daly and Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen today announced that Family Care Visiting Nurse and Home Care Agency, LLC (Family Care VNA), and David A. Krett and Rita C. Krett, R.N., B.S.N., owners of Family Care VNA, have entered into a civil settlement with the federal and state governments in which they will pay approximately $5.25 million to resolve allegations that they violated the federal and state False Claims Acts. Family Care VNA has offices in Stratford, Woodbridge, Norwalk and Meriden, and provides home health services in Fairfield, New Haven, Hartford and Middlesex Counties.
January 12, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Western District of Missouri
KC Daycare Center owner, Director Indicted for $556,000 Fraud Scheme
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Tammy Dickinson, US Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that the owner and the director of a Kansas City, Mo., day care center were indicted by a federal grand jury today for their roles in a conspiracy to file false attendance reports in order to fraudulently receive as much as $556,000 in federal benefits.
January 12, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Western District of Missouri Additional Charges Against Nigerian immigrant for Day Care Fraud Linked to International Scheme KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that additional charges have been filed against the Nigerian owner of a day care center in Kansas City, Mo., who was indicted last summer for engaging in a fraud scheme.
January 11, 2017; U.S. Department of Justice
Shire PLC Subsidiaries to Pay $350 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations
The Justice Department announced today that Shire Pharmaceuticals LLC and other subsidiaries of Shire plc (Shire) will pay $350 million to settle federal and state False Claims Act allegations that Shire and the company it acquired in 2011, Advanced BioHealing (ABH), employed kickbacks and other unlawful methods to induce clinics and physicians to use or overuse its product "Dermagraft," a bioengineered human skin substitute approved by the FDA for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. Shire plc is a multinational pharmaceutical firm headquartered in Ireland, with its US operational headquarters in Lexington, Massachusetts. Shire sold the assets associated with Dermagraft in early 2014.
January 10, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Central District of California
SANTA ANA, CA - A Brea man who operated rehabilitation clinics in Walnut, Torrance and Los Angeles and defrauded Medicare out of approximately $3 million by billing for unneeded or unnecessary services has been sentenced to 121 months in federal prison.
January 10, 2017; U.S. Attorney; District of New Jersey
NEWARK, N.J. - A doctor practicing in Passaic County, New Jersey, was charged today with accepting bribes in exchange for test referrals as part of a long-running and elaborate scheme operated by Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services LLC (BLS), of Parsippany, New Jersey, its president and numerous associates, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
January 9, 2017; U.S. Department of Justice
A Detroit-area neurosurgeon was sentenced yesterday to 235 months in prison for his role in $2.8 million health care fraud scheme in which he caused serious bodily harm to patients by performing unnecessary invasive spinal surgeries.
January 9, 2016; U.S. Attorney; Northern District of Texas
DALLAS - Texas-based MB2 Dental Solutions (MB2) and 21 pediatric dental practices affiliated with MB2, along with their owners and marketing chief, have agreed to pay the United States and the State of Texas Medicaid program $8.45 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by knowingly submitting, or causing the submission of, claims for pediatric dental services that were not rendered, were tainted by kickbacks, or falsely identified the person who performed the service, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
January 6, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Southern District of New York
Owner Of Utah-Based Pharmaceutical Distributer Pleads Guilty To $100 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme Preet Bharara, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that RANDY CROWELL, a/k/a "Roger," pled guilty today before United States District Judge Edgardo Ramos to fraudulently distributing more than $100 million worth of prescription drugs obtained on a nationwide black market. CROWELL used a Utah-based wholesale distribution company to sell illicitly procured drugs to pharmacies, which in turn dispensed them to unsuspecting customers. As part of his guilty plea, CROWELL agreed to forfeit more than $13 million in personal profits from the scheme.
January 5, 2017; U.S. Attorney; Northern District of Georgia
ATLANTA - Dr. Arnita Avery-Kelly, a licensed podiatrist, and Brenda Lewis, Avery-Kelly's office manager, have been arraigned on federal charges of illegal distribution of opioid pain killers and other drugs at clinic locations purporting to provide podiatric care in Sandy Springs, and Lithonia, Georgia. Dr. Avery-Kelly and Ms. Lewis were indicted by a federal grand jury on December 21, 2016.