Guilty plea in Florida Medicare fraud case

On Behalf of | Feb 5, 2014 | Medicare and Medicaid Fraud

Florida authorities continue to pursue those believed to have engaged in fraudulent conduct in the field of health care. Often, the conduct involves the transfer of substantial amounts of money, even tens of millions of dollars. This holds true in a recent Medicare fraud case, where a man, 53, just pleaded guilty in a $28.3 million scheme. His plea was heard in the U.S. District Court of the Middle District of Florida. He now faces sentencing for his part in the matter, with a court date for that pending. The maximum penalty he may face is 15 years.

According to court papers, the man and his alleged co-conspirators used various business entities, including physical therapy clinics, to submit an approximate total of $28,347,065 in fraudulent claims for reimbursement to Medicare. Of that amount, Medicare paid about $14,424,865. The claims were submitted between 2005 and 2009.

At that time, the man at the center of the case was both Chairman and President of a Delaware-based holding company called Ulysses Acquisitions. He is accused of using that holding company to purchase outpatient physical therapy providers and comprehensive rehabilitation facilities. Allegedly, he used those facilities to get control of their respective Medicare provider numbers.

He is also accused of illegally securing the identifying information of many Medicare beneficiaries by stealing it and by paying kickbacks. He is additionally said to have obtained the unique identifying information of various physicians. All of this data was used in the overall scheme.

Medicare fraud is a hefty crime. Allegations of it are very serious, and can involve extensive investigation into the facts of each case. Anyone accused of it should secure an attorney right away and build a defense.

Source: 7thSpace.com, “Leader of $28.3 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme Pleads Guilty” No author given, Feb. 03, 2014

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