ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Three people were recently convicted by a federal jury on charges related to Medicare fraud. The trial lasted 13 days and the defendants were found guilty of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, and conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks involving the Medicare Program. The defendants in the case operated a durable medical goods business that operated out of the Los Angeles area. California whistleblower attorneys say that Medicare fraud is a growing problem.
The defendants in the case submitted over $3.2 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare from 2006 to 2011. The fraudulent claims were for power wheelchairs and power wheelchair accessories. One of the defendants was a doctor who wrote prescriptions for the wheelchairs. The owner of the medical equipment company began working with the doctor in 2008 after his Medicare claims came under increasing scrutiny. The defendants recruited Medicare beneficiaries and went to their home to obtain their Medicare information. Then prescriptions for the wheelchairs were written by the doctor and bills were submitted to Medicare. During the period 2006 to 2011, the defendants fraudulently billed Medicare for more than 400 power wheelchairs. California whistleblower attorneys say that Medicare fraud costs taxpayers millions of dollars each year.
Following the trial two of the defendants were taken into custody after being convicted. Three of the defendants plead guilty prior to trial and were not taken into custody. The prosecution is the end result of a 10 month long investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in San Francisco, Office of Inspector general, and the Department of Health and Human Services in Los Angeles. The United States Attorney has stated that their office is committed to prosecuting those who would defraud Medicare and other government programs. California whistleblower attorneys are glad that officials are actively investigating and prosecuting false claims. Evans Law Firm, Inc. was not involved in this case, but does investigate whistleblower claims.
Evans Law Firm, Inc. handles whistleblower/false claims, consumer fraud class actions, insurance and banking fraud, consumer product liability, elder abuse, and personal injury cases. If you think that you have witnessed or are the victim of financial fraud by an insurance company, bank or individual then, contact Evans Law Firm, Inc. at (415) 441-8669 for a free and confidential consultation, or email info@evanslaw.com.
