Durable Medical Equipment

In Washington, two former owners of a durable medical equipment (DME) company were sentenced for their role in a scheme to defraud the Government. The man, who was convicted in a jury trial, was sentenced to 46 months in prison and ordered to pay a special court assessment of $4,600; he is subject to deportation to Russia after he serves his sentence for procuring U.S. citizenship contrary to the law. The woman, who pled guilty, was sentenced to 1 year and 1 day in prison. In addition, the two were ordered jointly and severally to pay almost $195,000 in restitution. The defendants fraudulently billed Medicare and Medicaid for expensive orthotics and incontinence supplies. As part of the scheme, the woman, a Russian interpreter, offered gifts to patients who were then transported to doctors’ offices to obtain prescriptions for DME.

Physicians and Other Health Care Professionals

A Michigan dentist was sentenced to 1 year and 1 day incarceration and ordered to pay $743,000 in restitution and fines for mail fraud. The man billed insurers for services not performed and for upcoded dental services.

In Massachusetts, a man was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and pay $40,000 in restitution to a hospital. Although not actually licensed, by providing false information, the man purported to be a licensed pharmacist and worked in a hospital pharmacy department from 1982 through 2001.