In early April, two executives for a business offering alcohol and drug abuse treatment services were arrested for healthcare fraud. Mesbel Mohamoud, 45, and Erlinda Abella, 63, both of Inglewood, are accused of submitting bills to Medi-Cal for services that were either not provided or were not eligible for reimbursement.…
The federal government’s False Claims Act (FCA) case against United Health Group (UHG) continues after major developments. In the case of U.S. ex rel. Benjamin Poehling v. UnitedHealth Group, Inc., The U.S. District Court in the Central District of California dismissed half of the claims brought through the initial qui…
Physicians Vilasini Ganesh, 47, and Gregory Belcher, 56, were convicted in December of committing health care fraud and making false statements to health care programs. A federal jury found Ganesh guilty of five counts of health care fraud and five counts of making false statements relating to fraudulently submitted claims.…
The U.S. Department of Justice announced on November 28 that two former health care employees pleaded guilty to Medicare fraud. Aharon Aron Krkasharyan, 53, was employed as a quality improvement coordinator at Mauran Ambulance Inc., a Los Angeles area ambulance company that provided non-emergency services to Medicare patients. Maria Espinoza,…
Four San Diego nursing homes owned by Brius Management Co. have agreed with the federal and state governments to resolve civil allegations regarding illegal kickbacks and health care fraud by paying a $6.9 million settlement. The investigation into the Point Loma Convalescent Hospital, Brighton Place located in San Diego, Brighton…
Elaine C. Lat, 47, of Fontana, California, owned and operated the Star Home Health Resources, Inc., a home health agency. As the chief operating officer, Lat implemented an illegal kickback scheme through which she would pay physicians, marketers, and other professionals in cash or checks from Star Home’s accounts for…
Sentencing for four California residents who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health fraud was recently handed down. Geoffrey Ricketts, 49, Marla Ricketts, 38, Samuel Kim, 41, and Sunyup Kim, 40, all pleaded guilty in late 2016 and early 2017 after being indicted in June 2015. Glucose Meter Fraud Scheme…
In early October, a California federal judge dismissed without prejudice a False Claims Act (FCA) lawsuit against UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UHG). The suit, U.S. ex rel. Swoben v. Secure Horizons, et al., alleged UHG ignored questionable diagnoses that led to higher reimbursements through the Medicare Advantage program. This is significant…
There is a misconception that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is mainly interested in health care fraud and violations of the False Claim Act (FCA) from large corporations like major insurers or pharmaceutical manufacturers. However, this is not true. The DOJ is on a mission to uncover health care…
CHRISTUS St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and CHRISTUS Health, located in Irving, Texas, have agreed with the U.S. Department of Justice to resolve allegations of violating the federal False Claims Act (FCA) with a settlement of $12.24 million plus interest. A Qui Tam Suit…