91 Charged With Medicare Fraud
Federal authorities have escalated their crackdown on health-care fraud yesterday. The announced charges against 91 people in eight cities. These people have been accused of cheating the Medicare system out of nearly $300 million and victimizing the elderly and disabled people who rely on the federal insurance program. Investigators focused heavily on the Miami area, where 46 of the 91 defendants were charged with participating in various fraud schemes.
Among those charged in the coordinated series of arrests was a doctor in Detroit who allegedly billed Medicare for services provided to dead people and claimed that he performed psychotherapy treatments more than 24 hours a day. Other doctors, nurses and health-care company owners were charged in various schemes to get paid for services that were medically unnecessary or never provided, officials said.
According to officials, across the United States, these defendants have treated the Medicare program as their personal piggy bank. At this time, it is unclear whether the defendants have retained criminal defense lawyers. 70 of the defendants were charged in indictments unsealed this week, the other 21 were charged in recent weeks. More than 55 defendants had been arrested by yesterday afternoon, in addition to others who turned themselves in to authorities.
These arrests are the latest steps to protect the integrity of Medicare. Officials are attempting to thwart schemes that are geared toward submitting false Medicare billings for home health care and other services.
Strike force operations were begun by the Bush administration in 2007 and have continued and been expanded under President Barack Obama. The Medicare fraud strike forces now operate in nine locations, and have so far resulted in more than 1,100 criminal charges.
If you or someone you know has been convicted of committing fraud, call one of our Myrtle Beach criminal defense lawyers at The Mace Firm for a free consultation. Our federal criminal defense lawyers in Myrtle Beach are ready to speak with you about your case today.
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