FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Three Patient Recruiters for Miami Home Health Company Plead Guilty for Roles in $48 Million Fraud Scheme
Three patient recruiters for a Miami health care company pleaded guilty today for their participation in a $48 million home health Medicare fraud scheme.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer of the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Steinbach of the FBI’s Miami Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Christopher B. Dennis of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Office of Investigations Miami Office made the announcement.
Miami residents Marianela Martinez, 45; Omar Hernandez, 48; and Celia Santovenia, 49, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Donald L. Graham in the Southern District of Florida to one count each of conspiracy to receive health care kickbacks. Sentencing has been scheduled for Feb. 11, 2014.
According to court documents, Martinez, Hernandez and Santovenia were patient recruiters who worked for Caring Nurse Home Health Care Corp., and Santovenia also worked for Good Quality Home Health Care Inc. Caring Nurse and Good Quality were Miami home health care agencies that purported to provide home health and therapy services to Medicare beneficiaries.
From approximately January 2006 through June 2011, the defendants would recruit patients for Caring Nurse and/or Good Quality and would solicit and receive kickbacks and bribes from the owners and operators of Caring Nurse and/or Good Quality in return for allowing the agency to bill the Medicare program on behalf of the recruited patients. These Medicare beneficiaries were billed for home health care and therapy services that were medically unnecessary and/or not provided.
In a related case, on Feb. 27, 2013, Rogelio Rodriguez, 44, and Raymond Aday, 49, the owners and operators of Caring Nurse and Good Quality, were sentenced to serve 108 and 51 months in prison, respectively. The sentencings followed their December 2012 guilty pleas to one count each of conspiracy to commit health care fraud charged in an October 2012 indictment, which alleged that from approximately January 2006 through June 2011, Caring Nurse and Good Quality submitted approximately $48 million in claims for home health services that were not medically necessary and/or not provided. Medicare paid approximately $33 million for those fraudulent claims.
The case was investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant Chief Joseph S. Beemsterboer of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
Since their inception in March 2007, Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations in nine locations have charged more than 1,700 defendants who collectively have falsely billed the Medicare program for more than $5.5 billion. In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
Showing posts with label FBI. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FBI. Show all posts
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Sunday, October 27, 2013
WANTED POSTERS ISSUED FOR FUGITIVES CHARGED IN INTERNATIONAL CYBER FRAUD SCHEME
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Indictment Unsealed and “Wanted” Posters Issued for Fugitives Charged with Multimillion Dollar International Cyber Fraud Scheme
Earlier today, charges were unsealed against Romanian fugitive Nicolae Popescu, the leader of an international organized crime syndicate that ran a multimillion dollar cyber fraud scheme, and six other fugitives charged with participating in the same scheme. Interpol has issued red notices to foreign law enforcement partners seeking assistance in the apprehension of these fugitives, and the FBI has also released “Wanted” posters to facilitate their arrests.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Loretta E. Lynch of the Eastern District of New York, and Assistant Director in Charge George Venizelos of the FBI’s New York Office made the announcement.
“Today, we have unsealed charges – and issued “wanted” posters and Interpol red notices – for a band of dangerous cybercriminals who are alleged to have stolen millions of dollars from unsuspecting consumers around the globe,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Raman. “As described in the indictment, the leader of this band of thieves openly proclaimed that he is beyond the reach of the U.S. criminal justice system. But with the help of our international partners, we will track down and capture every alleged member of this criminal syndicate, no matter where they are hiding.”
“Using forged documents and phony websites, for years Popescu and his criminal syndicate reached across the ocean to pick the pockets of hard working Americans looking to purchase cars,” said United States Attorney Lynch. “They thought their distance would insulate them from law enforcement scrutiny. They were wrong. By now, Popescu and his band of fugitives have seen their co-conspirators brought here to account for their crimes. Today’s actions place them squarely in the sights of our partners in international law enforcement. We will not stop in our efforts to find these fugitives and bring them to justice for the crimes they have allegedly committed against our citizens. ”
“As alleged, the defendants infiltrated the cyber marketplace with advertisements for high-value items that didn’t exist,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Venizelos. “They siphoned funds from victims to fuel their greedy desires and created false identities, fake websites and counterfeit certificates of title in order to make the scheme more convincing. Popescu and his co-conspirators were masters of illusion, but they can’t escape their ultimate reality. With the help of our law enforcement partners at home and abroad, we will bring them to justice.”
Popescu, Romanian nationals Daniel Alexe, Dmitru Daniel Bosogioiu, Ovidiu Cristea, and Dragomir Razvan, and a defendant who goes by the names “George Skyper” and “Tudor Barbu Lautaru,” as well as Albanian national Fabjan Meme, were originally charged in a criminal complaint with six other defendants for their participation in a cyber-fraud conspiracy that targeted primarily American consumers on such U.S.-based websites as Cars.com and AutoTrader.com. Their six co-defendants were arrested in a coordinated international takedown on Dec. 5, 2012, but Popescu, Alexe, Bosogioiu, Cristea, Razvan, and Meme have remained at large.
As alleged in the complaint and subsequent indictment, the defendants participated in a long-term conspiracy to saturate Internet marketplace websites including eBay, Cars.com, AutoTrader.com, and CycleTrader.com with detailed advertisements for cars, motorcycles, boats, and other high-value items – generally priced in the $10,000 to $45,000 range – that did not actually exist. The defendants employed co-conspirators who corresponded with the victim buyers by email, sending fraudulent certificates of title and other information designed to lure the victims into parting with their money. The defendants allegedly even pretended to sell cars from nonexistent auto dealerships in the United States and created phony websites for these fictitious dealerships. As part of the scheme, the defendants produced and used high-quality fake passports to be used as identification by co-conspirators in the United States to open U.S. bank accounts. After the “sellers” reached an agreement with the victim buyers, they would often email them invoices purporting to be from Amazon Payments, PayPal, or other online payment services, with instructions to transfer the money to the U.S. bank accounts used by the defendants. The defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly used counterfeit service marks in designing the invoices so that they would appear identical to communications from legitimate payment services. The illicit proceeds were then withdrawn from the U.S. bank accounts and sent to the defendants in Europe by wire transfer and other methods.
The complaint and indictment describe the extent to which Popescu, in particular, led the conspiracy. Among other things, Popescu coordinated the roles of the various participants in the scheme – he hired and fired passport makers based on the quality of the fake passports they produced, supervised co-conspirators who were responsible for placing the fraudulent ads and corresponding with the victims, and ensured that the illicit proceeds transferred to the U.S. bank accounts were quickly collected and transferred to himself and others acting on his behalf in Europe. Popescu also allegedly directed Cristea to obtain and transfer luxury watches purchased using the illegal proceeds of the scheme, including three Audemars Piguet watches with a combined retail value of over $140,000, to his associates in Europe. It is estimated that the defendants earned over $3 million from the fraudulent scheme.
According to the charging documents, Popescu and his close associate Bosogioiu demonstrated that they were aware of the risks of prosecution in the United States. In a recorded conversation on Oct. 23, 2011, Bosogioiu asked about the difference between federal and state law in the United States and vowed to avoid the FBI. Popescu, meanwhile, predicted on July 28, 2011, that “criminals will not be extradited from Romania to U.S.A….[I]t will never happen.”
The charges in the complaint and the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Carol Sipperly of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cristina Posa, Nadia Shihata, and Claire Kedeshian of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
The offices of the FBI Legal Attachés in Romania, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Canada and Hungary were instrumental in coordinating efforts with the United States’ international partners, and the U.S. government thanks its partners in Romania, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Canada and Germany for their close cooperation throughout this investigation. The Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Office of International Affairs, and Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section provided assistance with this investigation, as did the International Organized Crime Intelligence and Operations Center; the Internet Crime Complaint Center; the Costa Mesa, Calif., Police Department; the Orange County, Calif., District Attorney’s Office; and the New York City Police Department.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Indictment Unsealed and “Wanted” Posters Issued for Fugitives Charged with Multimillion Dollar International Cyber Fraud Scheme
Earlier today, charges were unsealed against Romanian fugitive Nicolae Popescu, the leader of an international organized crime syndicate that ran a multimillion dollar cyber fraud scheme, and six other fugitives charged with participating in the same scheme. Interpol has issued red notices to foreign law enforcement partners seeking assistance in the apprehension of these fugitives, and the FBI has also released “Wanted” posters to facilitate their arrests.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Loretta E. Lynch of the Eastern District of New York, and Assistant Director in Charge George Venizelos of the FBI’s New York Office made the announcement.
“Today, we have unsealed charges – and issued “wanted” posters and Interpol red notices – for a band of dangerous cybercriminals who are alleged to have stolen millions of dollars from unsuspecting consumers around the globe,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Raman. “As described in the indictment, the leader of this band of thieves openly proclaimed that he is beyond the reach of the U.S. criminal justice system. But with the help of our international partners, we will track down and capture every alleged member of this criminal syndicate, no matter where they are hiding.”
“Using forged documents and phony websites, for years Popescu and his criminal syndicate reached across the ocean to pick the pockets of hard working Americans looking to purchase cars,” said United States Attorney Lynch. “They thought their distance would insulate them from law enforcement scrutiny. They were wrong. By now, Popescu and his band of fugitives have seen their co-conspirators brought here to account for their crimes. Today’s actions place them squarely in the sights of our partners in international law enforcement. We will not stop in our efforts to find these fugitives and bring them to justice for the crimes they have allegedly committed against our citizens. ”
“As alleged, the defendants infiltrated the cyber marketplace with advertisements for high-value items that didn’t exist,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Venizelos. “They siphoned funds from victims to fuel their greedy desires and created false identities, fake websites and counterfeit certificates of title in order to make the scheme more convincing. Popescu and his co-conspirators were masters of illusion, but they can’t escape their ultimate reality. With the help of our law enforcement partners at home and abroad, we will bring them to justice.”
Popescu, Romanian nationals Daniel Alexe, Dmitru Daniel Bosogioiu, Ovidiu Cristea, and Dragomir Razvan, and a defendant who goes by the names “George Skyper” and “Tudor Barbu Lautaru,” as well as Albanian national Fabjan Meme, were originally charged in a criminal complaint with six other defendants for their participation in a cyber-fraud conspiracy that targeted primarily American consumers on such U.S.-based websites as Cars.com and AutoTrader.com. Their six co-defendants were arrested in a coordinated international takedown on Dec. 5, 2012, but Popescu, Alexe, Bosogioiu, Cristea, Razvan, and Meme have remained at large.
As alleged in the complaint and subsequent indictment, the defendants participated in a long-term conspiracy to saturate Internet marketplace websites including eBay, Cars.com, AutoTrader.com, and CycleTrader.com with detailed advertisements for cars, motorcycles, boats, and other high-value items – generally priced in the $10,000 to $45,000 range – that did not actually exist. The defendants employed co-conspirators who corresponded with the victim buyers by email, sending fraudulent certificates of title and other information designed to lure the victims into parting with their money. The defendants allegedly even pretended to sell cars from nonexistent auto dealerships in the United States and created phony websites for these fictitious dealerships. As part of the scheme, the defendants produced and used high-quality fake passports to be used as identification by co-conspirators in the United States to open U.S. bank accounts. After the “sellers” reached an agreement with the victim buyers, they would often email them invoices purporting to be from Amazon Payments, PayPal, or other online payment services, with instructions to transfer the money to the U.S. bank accounts used by the defendants. The defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly used counterfeit service marks in designing the invoices so that they would appear identical to communications from legitimate payment services. The illicit proceeds were then withdrawn from the U.S. bank accounts and sent to the defendants in Europe by wire transfer and other methods.
The complaint and indictment describe the extent to which Popescu, in particular, led the conspiracy. Among other things, Popescu coordinated the roles of the various participants in the scheme – he hired and fired passport makers based on the quality of the fake passports they produced, supervised co-conspirators who were responsible for placing the fraudulent ads and corresponding with the victims, and ensured that the illicit proceeds transferred to the U.S. bank accounts were quickly collected and transferred to himself and others acting on his behalf in Europe. Popescu also allegedly directed Cristea to obtain and transfer luxury watches purchased using the illegal proceeds of the scheme, including three Audemars Piguet watches with a combined retail value of over $140,000, to his associates in Europe. It is estimated that the defendants earned over $3 million from the fraudulent scheme.
According to the charging documents, Popescu and his close associate Bosogioiu demonstrated that they were aware of the risks of prosecution in the United States. In a recorded conversation on Oct. 23, 2011, Bosogioiu asked about the difference between federal and state law in the United States and vowed to avoid the FBI. Popescu, meanwhile, predicted on July 28, 2011, that “criminals will not be extradited from Romania to U.S.A….[I]t will never happen.”
The charges in the complaint and the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Carol Sipperly of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cristina Posa, Nadia Shihata, and Claire Kedeshian of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
The offices of the FBI Legal Attachés in Romania, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Canada and Hungary were instrumental in coordinating efforts with the United States’ international partners, and the U.S. government thanks its partners in Romania, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Canada and Germany for their close cooperation throughout this investigation. The Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Office of International Affairs, and Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section provided assistance with this investigation, as did the International Organized Crime Intelligence and Operations Center; the Internet Crime Complaint Center; the Costa Mesa, Calif., Police Department; the Orange County, Calif., District Attorney’s Office; and the New York City Police Department.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
MAN CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED ARSON OF PLANNED PARENTHOOD FACILITY IN JOPLIN, MO.
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT,
Friday, October 18, 2013
Missouri Man Charged with Attempted Arson of Planned Parenthood Facility
The Justice Department announced today that Jedediah Stout, 30, of Joplin, Mo., was charged today in a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Springfield, Mo., with the attempted arson of a Planned Parenthood facility.
As stated in the complaint affidavit, on Oct. 3, 2013, and Oct. 4, 2013, Stout made consecutive attempts to set fire to the Planned Parenthood facility in Joplin. In both instances he threw items containing an accelerant onto the roof of the facility, and then ignited material attached to the accelerant. Stout will have his initial appearance in U.S. District Court on Oct. 21, 2013.
Today’s charge is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobaco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Joplin Police Department. Prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Kelleher in conjunction with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Friday, October 18, 2013
Missouri Man Charged with Attempted Arson of Planned Parenthood Facility
The Justice Department announced today that Jedediah Stout, 30, of Joplin, Mo., was charged today in a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Springfield, Mo., with the attempted arson of a Planned Parenthood facility.
As stated in the complaint affidavit, on Oct. 3, 2013, and Oct. 4, 2013, Stout made consecutive attempts to set fire to the Planned Parenthood facility in Joplin. In both instances he threw items containing an accelerant onto the roof of the facility, and then ignited material attached to the accelerant. Stout will have his initial appearance in U.S. District Court on Oct. 21, 2013.
Today’s charge is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobaco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Joplin Police Department. Prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Kelleher in conjunction with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Friday, September 20, 2013
COLOMBIAN DRUG TRAFFICKER SENTENCED TO 194 MONTH PRISON TERM
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Monday, September 16, 2013
High-level Colombian Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 194 Months in Prison
Jose Maria Corredor-Ibague, aka “Boyaco,” a high-level drug trafficker and supporter of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), has been sentenced in Washington, D.C., to serve 194 months in prison. Corredor-Ibague was the first person in the nation to be indicted under the federal narco-terrorism statute, which became law in March 2006.
The sentencing was announced today by Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Carlin of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. of the District of Columbia; Michele M. Leonhart, Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Steinbach of the FBI’s Miami Field Office; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami Special Agent in Charge Alysa D. Erichs; and Special Agent in Charge John F. Khin of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service Southeast Field Office.
“Jose Maria Corredor-Ibague was an international drug lord who moved cocaine around the world through a close, criminal partnership with the FARC,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Raman. “This narco-terrorism case was the first of its kind. As this 194-month sentence demonstrates, the Justice Department is firmly committed to working with its counterparts to hold accountable anyone who uses narco-trafficking to support, assist and enable terrorism.”
“This defendant led a drug transportation network that distributed thousands of kilograms of cocaine to destinations in the United States and other countries, often acting in concert with the FARC terrorist organization,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “He was a leader of a broader conspiracy that engaged in narco-terrorism, and his apprehension, prosecution and 194-month prison sentence show that law enforcement is committed to combatting drug traffickers and those who provide support to terrorist groups.”
Corredor-Ibague’s sentence was unsealed today in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia. On Monday, Sept. 9, 2013, Corredor-Ibague, 46, a Colombian National, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler. In addition to his prison term, Corredor-Ibague was sentenced to serve three years of supervised release.
Corredor-Ibague was arrested in Colombia on Oct. 15, 2006. He was extradited to the United States in October 2008 and subsequently pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine while knowing and intending that the cocaine would be imported into the United States, one count of narco-terrorism and one count of conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization.
According to court documents, Corredor-Ibague was the leader of an extensive drug manufacturing and transportation network that processed and manufactured cocaine in Colombian laboratories and used airplanes to fly multi-hundred kilogram loads of cocaine from clandestine airstrips in Colombia to various countries, including Brazil, Guyana, Mexico, Paraguay, Suriname and Venezuela. From these countries, which were often used as transshipment points, the cocaine was sent to destinations in the United States and Europe. Corredor-Ibague controlled the clandestine airstrips used by his organization and also owned and operated the laboratories used to manufacture and package the cocaine. Corredor-Ibague and his associates also transported cocaine owned by other drug trafficking organizations, including cocaine belonging to the FARC.
Corredor-Ibague’s drug trafficking activities were conducted with the protection of the FARC. In particular, the FARC’s “First Front” combat group profited from the activities of Corredor-Ibague and his associates. Corredor-Ibague paid taxes to the FARC using U.S. currency and weapons. Additionally, Corredor-Ibague provided material support, assistance and resources to the FARC, including assault-type weapons, machine guns, ammunition, uniforms and sophisticated communications equipment. Corredor-Ibague conducted these activities with knowledge that the FARC engaged in terrorist activity and terrorism in Colombia and elsewhere.
“This narco-terrorist illegally exported sophisticated US military weapons and communications equipment to support criminal activities by a designated terrorist organization,” said DCIS Special Agent in Charge Khin. “Joint investigations such as these highlight the success of multi-agency partnerships in protecting America’s national security interests in this region.”
This case was investigated by the DEA, the ICE-HSI Miami Field Office, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Southeast Field Office and the FBI Miami Field Office. Additionally, the U.S. government expresses its grateful appreciation to the government of Colombia for their assistance and support during the investigation, arrest and extradition.
The case was jointly prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Robert Raymond and Jamie Perry of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS); Trial Attorney Glenn Alexander, formerly of NDDS and now with the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section; Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Asuncion of the District of Columbia; and Trial Attorney David Cora of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs also provided significant assistance in the provisional arrest and extradition of Corredor-Ibague.
Monday, September 16, 2013
High-level Colombian Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 194 Months in Prison
Jose Maria Corredor-Ibague, aka “Boyaco,” a high-level drug trafficker and supporter of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), has been sentenced in Washington, D.C., to serve 194 months in prison. Corredor-Ibague was the first person in the nation to be indicted under the federal narco-terrorism statute, which became law in March 2006.
The sentencing was announced today by Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Carlin of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. of the District of Columbia; Michele M. Leonhart, Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Steinbach of the FBI’s Miami Field Office; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami Special Agent in Charge Alysa D. Erichs; and Special Agent in Charge John F. Khin of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service Southeast Field Office.
“Jose Maria Corredor-Ibague was an international drug lord who moved cocaine around the world through a close, criminal partnership with the FARC,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Raman. “This narco-terrorism case was the first of its kind. As this 194-month sentence demonstrates, the Justice Department is firmly committed to working with its counterparts to hold accountable anyone who uses narco-trafficking to support, assist and enable terrorism.”
“This defendant led a drug transportation network that distributed thousands of kilograms of cocaine to destinations in the United States and other countries, often acting in concert with the FARC terrorist organization,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “He was a leader of a broader conspiracy that engaged in narco-terrorism, and his apprehension, prosecution and 194-month prison sentence show that law enforcement is committed to combatting drug traffickers and those who provide support to terrorist groups.”
Corredor-Ibague’s sentence was unsealed today in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia. On Monday, Sept. 9, 2013, Corredor-Ibague, 46, a Colombian National, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler. In addition to his prison term, Corredor-Ibague was sentenced to serve three years of supervised release.
Corredor-Ibague was arrested in Colombia on Oct. 15, 2006. He was extradited to the United States in October 2008 and subsequently pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine while knowing and intending that the cocaine would be imported into the United States, one count of narco-terrorism and one count of conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization.
According to court documents, Corredor-Ibague was the leader of an extensive drug manufacturing and transportation network that processed and manufactured cocaine in Colombian laboratories and used airplanes to fly multi-hundred kilogram loads of cocaine from clandestine airstrips in Colombia to various countries, including Brazil, Guyana, Mexico, Paraguay, Suriname and Venezuela. From these countries, which were often used as transshipment points, the cocaine was sent to destinations in the United States and Europe. Corredor-Ibague controlled the clandestine airstrips used by his organization and also owned and operated the laboratories used to manufacture and package the cocaine. Corredor-Ibague and his associates also transported cocaine owned by other drug trafficking organizations, including cocaine belonging to the FARC.
Corredor-Ibague’s drug trafficking activities were conducted with the protection of the FARC. In particular, the FARC’s “First Front” combat group profited from the activities of Corredor-Ibague and his associates. Corredor-Ibague paid taxes to the FARC using U.S. currency and weapons. Additionally, Corredor-Ibague provided material support, assistance and resources to the FARC, including assault-type weapons, machine guns, ammunition, uniforms and sophisticated communications equipment. Corredor-Ibague conducted these activities with knowledge that the FARC engaged in terrorist activity and terrorism in Colombia and elsewhere.
“This narco-terrorist illegally exported sophisticated US military weapons and communications equipment to support criminal activities by a designated terrorist organization,” said DCIS Special Agent in Charge Khin. “Joint investigations such as these highlight the success of multi-agency partnerships in protecting America’s national security interests in this region.”
This case was investigated by the DEA, the ICE-HSI Miami Field Office, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Southeast Field Office and the FBI Miami Field Office. Additionally, the U.S. government expresses its grateful appreciation to the government of Colombia for their assistance and support during the investigation, arrest and extradition.
The case was jointly prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Robert Raymond and Jamie Perry of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS); Trial Attorney Glenn Alexander, formerly of NDDS and now with the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section; Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Asuncion of the District of Columbia; and Trial Attorney David Cora of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs also provided significant assistance in the provisional arrest and extradition of Corredor-Ibague.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
SHERIFF'S DEPUTY INDICTED FOR FEDERAL CIVIL RIGHTS CRIMES
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Pulaski County Sheriff’s Deputy Indicted for Federal Civil Rights Violation
U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky David J. Hale and Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Jocelyn Samuels announced that Steven Molen, a Sheriff’s Deputy with the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury on one count of violating the civil rights of a victim by using excessive force in August 2008.
The indictment alleges that on Aug. 24, 2008, Molen assaulted a victim identified in the indictment as “C.F.,” resulting in bodily injury.
On June 27, 2013, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Kentucky indicted Molen on two other counts of violating the civil rights of different victims by using excessive force in 2009 and 2011.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI. The cases against Molen will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Judd from the Western District of Kentucky, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Pat Molloy and Ron Walker from the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Trial Attorney Ali Ahmad from the Civil Rights Division.
The charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Pulaski County Sheriff’s Deputy Indicted for Federal Civil Rights Violation
U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky David J. Hale and Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Jocelyn Samuels announced that Steven Molen, a Sheriff’s Deputy with the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury on one count of violating the civil rights of a victim by using excessive force in August 2008.
The indictment alleges that on Aug. 24, 2008, Molen assaulted a victim identified in the indictment as “C.F.,” resulting in bodily injury.
On June 27, 2013, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Kentucky indicted Molen on two other counts of violating the civil rights of different victims by using excessive force in 2009 and 2011.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI. The cases against Molen will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Judd from the Western District of Kentucky, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Pat Molloy and Ron Walker from the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Trial Attorney Ali Ahmad from the Civil Rights Division.
The charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Friday, August 9, 2013
KENTUCKY SHERIFF SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Barren County, KY. Sheriff Sentenced on Two Counts of Obstructing Justice
Barren County, Ky., Sheriff Christopher Brian Eaton, 42, of Glasgow, Ky., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Joseph H. McKinley Jr. to serve an 18-month prison term followed by two years of supervised release, after a jury convicted him on May 9, 2013, of two counts of obstructing justice during a federal criminal civil rights investigation conducted by the FBI. Eaton was convicted of corruptly persuading two of his deputies to write false reports regarding an alleged unreasonable use of force against a man arrested by Eaton and several of his deputies outside a church on Feb. 24, 2010.
Eaton was convicted of directing the first deputy, who did not participate in the arrest, to write a report which falsely stated that Eaton and the deputy had walked back to the area where the individual had been arrested and located a knife lying on the ground. Eaton was convicted of directing the second deputy, who had participated in the arrest, to falsify reports and testify falsely in state court proceedings that that the victim had pulled a knife on Eaton during the victim’s arrest, when Eaton and his deputy fully knew this not to be true.
“Obstruction of justice by law enforcement officers strikes at the heart of the fundamental right of every citizen accused of a crime to due process of the law,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. “As the trial, verdict and sentence in this case demonstrate, the Department of Justice and the Civil Rights Division will vigorously prosecute law enforcement officers who violate their sworn duty to respect and enforce the constitutional rights of every person.”
This case was investigated by the Louisville, Ky. Division of the FBI and was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Roy Conn and Sanjay Patel of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Barren County, KY. Sheriff Sentenced on Two Counts of Obstructing Justice
Barren County, Ky., Sheriff Christopher Brian Eaton, 42, of Glasgow, Ky., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Joseph H. McKinley Jr. to serve an 18-month prison term followed by two years of supervised release, after a jury convicted him on May 9, 2013, of two counts of obstructing justice during a federal criminal civil rights investigation conducted by the FBI. Eaton was convicted of corruptly persuading two of his deputies to write false reports regarding an alleged unreasonable use of force against a man arrested by Eaton and several of his deputies outside a church on Feb. 24, 2010.
Eaton was convicted of directing the first deputy, who did not participate in the arrest, to write a report which falsely stated that Eaton and the deputy had walked back to the area where the individual had been arrested and located a knife lying on the ground. Eaton was convicted of directing the second deputy, who had participated in the arrest, to falsify reports and testify falsely in state court proceedings that that the victim had pulled a knife on Eaton during the victim’s arrest, when Eaton and his deputy fully knew this not to be true.
“Obstruction of justice by law enforcement officers strikes at the heart of the fundamental right of every citizen accused of a crime to due process of the law,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. “As the trial, verdict and sentence in this case demonstrate, the Department of Justice and the Civil Rights Division will vigorously prosecute law enforcement officers who violate their sworn duty to respect and enforce the constitutional rights of every person.”
This case was investigated by the Louisville, Ky. Division of the FBI and was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Roy Conn and Sanjay Patel of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.
Monday, August 5, 2013
FORMER OWNER MEDICAL EQUIPMENT SUPPLY COMPANY SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR ROLE IN MEDICARE FRAUD
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Former Owner of Los Angeles Medical Equipment Supply Company Sentenced for Conspiring to Defraud Medicare
The owner and operator of a durable medical equipment (DME) supply company was sentenced today to serve 24 months in prison for conspiring to submit nearly $1 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney André Birotte Jr. of the Central District of California; Special Agent in Charge Glenn R. Ferry of the Los Angeles Region of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); and Assistant Director in Charge Bill L. Lewis of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office made the announcement.
Tigran Aklyan, 37, of Van Nuys, Calif., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald in the Central District of California. In addition to his prison term, Aklyan was sentenced to serve three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $653,461 in restitution.
In April 2013, Aklyan pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. In his plea agreement, Aklyan admitted that he was the owner and president of Las Tunas, a DME supply company located in San Gabriel, Calif. Aklyan admitted that from in or around October 2007 through in or around May 2009 he conspired with others to commit health care fraud by providing medically unnecessary power wheelchairs (PWCs) and other DME to Medicare beneficiaries and submitting false and fraudulent claims to Medicare. Aklyan admitted that he paid the owners and operators of fraudulent medical clinics to provide him with prescriptions and supporting medical documentation for the PWCs and DME that he billed to Medicare. Aklyan knew that the prescriptions and medical documents that the clinics produced were fraudulent, yet he certified to Medicare with the submission of each claim that the DME was medically necessary. Aklyan also admitted that he knew that it was illegal for him to pay for prescriptions, but he did so anyway.
From on or about Dec. 17, 2007, through on or about Feb. 20, 2009, Aklyan, through Las Tunas, submitted approximately $910,377 in fraudulent claims to Medicare for PWCs and related services, and Medicare paid Las Tunas approximately $653,461 on those claims.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Los Angeles Region of HHS-OIG and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant Chief Benton Curtis and Trial Attorneys David M. Maria and Blanca Quintero of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged more than 1,500 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $5 billion. In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
The Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations are part of the Health Care Fraud Prevention & Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), a joint initiative announced in May 2009 between the Department of Justice and HHS to focus their efforts to prevent and deter fraud and enforce current anti-fraud laws around the country.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Former Owner of Los Angeles Medical Equipment Supply Company Sentenced for Conspiring to Defraud Medicare
The owner and operator of a durable medical equipment (DME) supply company was sentenced today to serve 24 months in prison for conspiring to submit nearly $1 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney André Birotte Jr. of the Central District of California; Special Agent in Charge Glenn R. Ferry of the Los Angeles Region of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); and Assistant Director in Charge Bill L. Lewis of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office made the announcement.
Tigran Aklyan, 37, of Van Nuys, Calif., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald in the Central District of California. In addition to his prison term, Aklyan was sentenced to serve three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $653,461 in restitution.
In April 2013, Aklyan pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. In his plea agreement, Aklyan admitted that he was the owner and president of Las Tunas, a DME supply company located in San Gabriel, Calif. Aklyan admitted that from in or around October 2007 through in or around May 2009 he conspired with others to commit health care fraud by providing medically unnecessary power wheelchairs (PWCs) and other DME to Medicare beneficiaries and submitting false and fraudulent claims to Medicare. Aklyan admitted that he paid the owners and operators of fraudulent medical clinics to provide him with prescriptions and supporting medical documentation for the PWCs and DME that he billed to Medicare. Aklyan knew that the prescriptions and medical documents that the clinics produced were fraudulent, yet he certified to Medicare with the submission of each claim that the DME was medically necessary. Aklyan also admitted that he knew that it was illegal for him to pay for prescriptions, but he did so anyway.
From on or about Dec. 17, 2007, through on or about Feb. 20, 2009, Aklyan, through Las Tunas, submitted approximately $910,377 in fraudulent claims to Medicare for PWCs and related services, and Medicare paid Las Tunas approximately $653,461 on those claims.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Los Angeles Region of HHS-OIG and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant Chief Benton Curtis and Trial Attorneys David M. Maria and Blanca Quintero of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged more than 1,500 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $5 billion. In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
The Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations are part of the Health Care Fraud Prevention & Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), a joint initiative announced in May 2009 between the Department of Justice and HHS to focus their efforts to prevent and deter fraud and enforce current anti-fraud laws around the country.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
SIX THERAPISTS ARRESTED FOR ALLEGED ROLES IN $63 MILLION HEALTH CARE FRAUD
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Florida Health Care Medical Director and Six Therapists Arrested for Alleged Roles in $63 Million Fraud Scheme
The former medical director at defunct health provider Health Care Solutions Network (HCSN) and six therapists were arrested today, accused of conspiring to fraudulently bill Medicare and Florida Medicaid more than $63 million.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Wifredo A. Ferrer; Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Steinbach of the FBI's Miami Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Christopher B. Dennis of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Office of Investigations Miami office, made the announcement after the indictment was unsealed following the arrests.
The former HCSN medical director, Roger Rousseau, 71, of Miami, was indicted on July 11, 2013, and charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and two counts of health care fraud. In addition, six therapists from Miami – Doris Crabtree, 61; Angela Salafia, 65; Liliana Marks, 46; Ruben Busquets, 49; Alina Fonts, 47; and Blanca Ruiz, 59 – were also charged in the same indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Fonts was also charged with two counts of health care fraud, and Crabtree, Salafia, Marks and Busquets were each charged with two counts of making false statements related to health care matters. The indictment also seeks forfeiture of proceeds from the alleged healthcare fraud offenses.
According to the indictment, HCSN purported to provide intensive mental health treatment to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries in Miami and Hendersonville, N.C., from approximately 2004 through 2011 for purported mental health services that were not medically necessary and often never provided. The indictment also alleges that in Miami, HCSN paid kickbacks to assisted living facility owners and operators who, in exchange, referred beneficiaries to HCSN. In total, HCSN is alleged to have fraudulently billed Medicare and Medicaid approximately $63.7 million, from which HCSN allegedly received payments totaling approximately $28 million.
Rousseau served as the medical director for HCSN in Florida, and the indictment alleges that he routinely signed what he knew to be fabricated and altered medical records without ever reviewing the materials, and, in most instances, without ever meeting with the patient. The indictment also alleges that Crabtree, Salafia, Marks, Busquets, Fonts and Ruiz fabricated HCSN medical records to support false and fraudulent claims for partial hospitalization program services that were not medically necessary and were not provided.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG, and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division's Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida. The case is being prosecuted by Fraud Section Trial Attorney Allan J. Medina.
Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged more than 1,500 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $5 billion. In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, is taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Florida Health Care Medical Director and Six Therapists Arrested for Alleged Roles in $63 Million Fraud Scheme
The former medical director at defunct health provider Health Care Solutions Network (HCSN) and six therapists were arrested today, accused of conspiring to fraudulently bill Medicare and Florida Medicaid more than $63 million.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Wifredo A. Ferrer; Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Steinbach of the FBI's Miami Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Christopher B. Dennis of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Office of Investigations Miami office, made the announcement after the indictment was unsealed following the arrests.
The former HCSN medical director, Roger Rousseau, 71, of Miami, was indicted on July 11, 2013, and charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and two counts of health care fraud. In addition, six therapists from Miami – Doris Crabtree, 61; Angela Salafia, 65; Liliana Marks, 46; Ruben Busquets, 49; Alina Fonts, 47; and Blanca Ruiz, 59 – were also charged in the same indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Fonts was also charged with two counts of health care fraud, and Crabtree, Salafia, Marks and Busquets were each charged with two counts of making false statements related to health care matters. The indictment also seeks forfeiture of proceeds from the alleged healthcare fraud offenses.
According to the indictment, HCSN purported to provide intensive mental health treatment to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries in Miami and Hendersonville, N.C., from approximately 2004 through 2011 for purported mental health services that were not medically necessary and often never provided. The indictment also alleges that in Miami, HCSN paid kickbacks to assisted living facility owners and operators who, in exchange, referred beneficiaries to HCSN. In total, HCSN is alleged to have fraudulently billed Medicare and Medicaid approximately $63.7 million, from which HCSN allegedly received payments totaling approximately $28 million.
Rousseau served as the medical director for HCSN in Florida, and the indictment alleges that he routinely signed what he knew to be fabricated and altered medical records without ever reviewing the materials, and, in most instances, without ever meeting with the patient. The indictment also alleges that Crabtree, Salafia, Marks, Busquets, Fonts and Ruiz fabricated HCSN medical records to support false and fraudulent claims for partial hospitalization program services that were not medically necessary and were not provided.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG, and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division's Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida. The case is being prosecuted by Fraud Section Trial Attorney Allan J. Medina.
Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged more than 1,500 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $5 billion. In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, is taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ISSUES STATEMENT ON TRAYVON MARTIN-GEORGE ZIMMERMAN CASE
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Monday, July 15, 2013
Justice Department Statement on the Trayvon Martin-George Zimmerman Case
"As the Department first acknowledged last year, we have an open investigation into the death of Trayvon Martin. The Department of Justice's Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division, the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation continue to evaluate the evidence generated during the federal investigation, as well as the evidence and testimony from the state trial. Experienced federal prosecutors will determine whether the evidence reveals a prosecutable violation of any of the limited federal criminal civil rights statutes within our jurisdiction, and whether federal prosecution is appropriate in accordance with the Department's policy governing successive federal prosecution following a state trial.”
Monday, July 15, 2013
Justice Department Statement on the Trayvon Martin-George Zimmerman Case
"As the Department first acknowledged last year, we have an open investigation into the death of Trayvon Martin. The Department of Justice's Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division, the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation continue to evaluate the evidence generated during the federal investigation, as well as the evidence and testimony from the state trial. Experienced federal prosecutors will determine whether the evidence reveals a prosecutable violation of any of the limited federal criminal civil rights statutes within our jurisdiction, and whether federal prosecution is appropriate in accordance with the Department's policy governing successive federal prosecution following a state trial.”
Sunday, March 24, 2013
NURSE PLEADS GUILTY TO MEDICARE FRAUD
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Friday, March 22, 2013
Registered Nurse Pleads Guilty in Connection with Detroit Medicare Fraud Scheme
A registered nurse who fabricated nursing visit forms in connection with a $24 million home health care fraud conspiracy in Detroit pleaded guilty today for her role in the scheme, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Barbara L. McQuade, Special Agent in Charge Robert D. Foley III of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Lamont Pugh III of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Chicago Regional Office.
Beverly Cooper, 59, of Detroit, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Victoria A. Roberts in the Eastern District of Michigan to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
Cooper admitted that she and others conspired to defraud Medicare through home health care companies operating in the Detroit area, including Reliance Home Care LLC, First Choice Home Health Care Services Inc. and Accessible Home Care Inc. According to court documents, Cooper fabricated nursing visit notes and other documents to give Medicare the impression that she had provided home health care services, when, in fact, home health care was not needed and/or was not being provided. Cooper also admitted that while at these companies, she signed nursing visit notes for home visits made by other unlicensed individuals to give Medicare the false impression that she had provided home health care. Court documents reveal that Cooper understood that the documents she created would be used by these companies to submit claims to Medicare for home health services that were not medically necessary and/or not provided.
Court documents show that when home health companies were inspected by state regulatory agencies, Cooper and her co-conspirators participated in staged home health visits, posing as employees of these companies and treating fake patients, all to give inspectors the false impression that these companies’ operations were legitimate and that home health services were in fact being provided.
Court documents allege that between 2006 and May 2012, Cooper’s conduct caused Reliance, First Choice and Accessible to submit claims to Medicare for services that were not medically necessary and/or not provided, causing Medicare to pay these companies approximately $5,403,703.
At sentencing, scheduled for July 23, 2013, Cooper faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney William G. Kanellis and Assistant Chief Gejaa Gobena of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. It was investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG, and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged more than 1,480 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $4.8 billion. In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, is taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Registered Nurse Pleads Guilty in Connection with Detroit Medicare Fraud Scheme
A registered nurse who fabricated nursing visit forms in connection with a $24 million home health care fraud conspiracy in Detroit pleaded guilty today for her role in the scheme, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Barbara L. McQuade, Special Agent in Charge Robert D. Foley III of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Lamont Pugh III of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Chicago Regional Office.
Beverly Cooper, 59, of Detroit, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Victoria A. Roberts in the Eastern District of Michigan to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
Cooper admitted that she and others conspired to defraud Medicare through home health care companies operating in the Detroit area, including Reliance Home Care LLC, First Choice Home Health Care Services Inc. and Accessible Home Care Inc. According to court documents, Cooper fabricated nursing visit notes and other documents to give Medicare the impression that she had provided home health care services, when, in fact, home health care was not needed and/or was not being provided. Cooper also admitted that while at these companies, she signed nursing visit notes for home visits made by other unlicensed individuals to give Medicare the false impression that she had provided home health care. Court documents reveal that Cooper understood that the documents she created would be used by these companies to submit claims to Medicare for home health services that were not medically necessary and/or not provided.
Court documents show that when home health companies were inspected by state regulatory agencies, Cooper and her co-conspirators participated in staged home health visits, posing as employees of these companies and treating fake patients, all to give inspectors the false impression that these companies’ operations were legitimate and that home health services were in fact being provided.
Court documents allege that between 2006 and May 2012, Cooper’s conduct caused Reliance, First Choice and Accessible to submit claims to Medicare for services that were not medically necessary and/or not provided, causing Medicare to pay these companies approximately $5,403,703.
At sentencing, scheduled for July 23, 2013, Cooper faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney William G. Kanellis and Assistant Chief Gejaa Gobena of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. It was investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG, and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged more than 1,480 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $4.8 billion. In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, is taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
FORMER POLICE OFFICER SENTENCED FOR PROVIDING PROTECTION DURING A COCAINE SALE
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Friday, November 16, 2012
Former Police of Puerto Rico Officer Sentenced to 181 Months in Prison for Providing Armed Security for Drug Transaction
WASHINGTON – A former Police of Puerto Rico officer was sentenced today to 181 months in prison for her role in providing armed security for a drug transaction, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Rosa E. Rodriguez-Velez of the District of Puerto Rico, and Special Agent in Charge Joseph S. Campbell of the FBI’s San Juan Field Office.
Yamil Navedo Ramirez, 39, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Juan M. Perez-Gimenez in the District of Puerto Rico.
In May 2012, a federal jury in San Juan found Navedo Ramirez guilty of one count of attempting to possess with the intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug transaction. The jury acquitted her of one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine.
According to the evidence presented in court, Navedo Ramirez provided security on April 14, 2010, for what she believed was an illegal cocaine deal. In fact, the purported drug transaction was part of an undercover FBI operation. On that day, Navedo Ramirez provided armed protection for the deal and escorted the buyer in and out of the transaction.
Navedo Ramirez was charged in a superseding indictment unsealed on Oct. 28, 2010, along with 89 law enforcement officers in Puerto Rico and 44 other individuals charged as part of the FBI undercover operation known as Guard Shack.
In return for the security she provided, Navedo Ramirez received a cash payment of $2,000. Judge Perez Gimenez ordered the defendant to forfeit the $2,000 she received in exchange for providing security for the drug transaction.
The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Kevin Driscoll and Monique Abrishami of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section. The case was investigated by the FBI. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico also participated in the investigation and prosecution of this case.
Friday, November 16, 2012
Former Police of Puerto Rico Officer Sentenced to 181 Months in Prison for Providing Armed Security for Drug Transaction
WASHINGTON – A former Police of Puerto Rico officer was sentenced today to 181 months in prison for her role in providing armed security for a drug transaction, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Rosa E. Rodriguez-Velez of the District of Puerto Rico, and Special Agent in Charge Joseph S. Campbell of the FBI’s San Juan Field Office.
Yamil Navedo Ramirez, 39, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Juan M. Perez-Gimenez in the District of Puerto Rico.
In May 2012, a federal jury in San Juan found Navedo Ramirez guilty of one count of attempting to possess with the intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug transaction. The jury acquitted her of one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine.
According to the evidence presented in court, Navedo Ramirez provided security on April 14, 2010, for what she believed was an illegal cocaine deal. In fact, the purported drug transaction was part of an undercover FBI operation. On that day, Navedo Ramirez provided armed protection for the deal and escorted the buyer in and out of the transaction.
Navedo Ramirez was charged in a superseding indictment unsealed on Oct. 28, 2010, along with 89 law enforcement officers in Puerto Rico and 44 other individuals charged as part of the FBI undercover operation known as Guard Shack.
In return for the security she provided, Navedo Ramirez received a cash payment of $2,000. Judge Perez Gimenez ordered the defendant to forfeit the $2,000 she received in exchange for providing security for the drug transaction.
The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Kevin Driscoll and Monique Abrishami of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section. The case was investigated by the FBI. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico also participated in the investigation and prosecution of this case.
Monday, November 26, 2012
PUTTING AN END TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
The Fight to End Human Trafficking Contineus
November 21st, 2012
Posted by Tracy Russo
Deputy Attorney General James Cole met with Jada Pinkett Smith last week to discuss the department’s extensive efforts to end human trafficking. Ms. Pinkett Smith founded the organization,
Don’t Sell Bodies, to raise awareness about this global epidemic and advocate for victims of trafficking. Ms. Pinkett Smith was joined by former trafficking victims who now work to raise awareness and eliminate human trafficking, including Minh Dang and Withelma "T" Ortiz-Macey, Glamour magazine’s 2011 Woman of the Year.
During the meeting the group discussed remarks made by Deputy Cole before the INTERPOL General Assembly in Italy earlier this month, which largely focused on the department’s myriad of efforts to combat trafficking, including the links between transnational organized crime and human trafficking and the department’s prosecution and training efforts in this area.
Human trafficking cases are prosecuted by several Department of Justice components, including the Civil Rights Division and its specialized Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, the Criminal Division through the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, and individual U.S. Attorney’s Offices. These cases are investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Homeland Security Investigations, and partners at the Departments of Labor and State.
In recent years we have demonstrated unprecedented success in fighting both labor and sex trafficking. We are bringing a record number of federal cases, while at the same time, more states than ever before have passed their own anti-trafficking laws. The department has increased the number of human trafficking prosecutions by more than 30 percent in forced labor and adult sex trafficking cases, while also increasing the number of convictions in Innocence Lost National Initiative cases by 30 percent.
Working with federal, state, local, and international law enforcement agencies, we recently secured the longest sentence ever imposed in a forced labor case. In United States v. Botsvynyuk, the lead defendant was sentenced to life in prison plus twenty years, and his co-conspirator was sentenced to twenty years, for their respective roles in an organized human trafficking scheme that held its victims in forced labor on cleaning crews in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Just over a year ago, we initiated a pilot project of multi-agency Anti-Trafficking Coordination Teams (ACTeams) in six judicial districts in the United States. These task forces will prove the value of interagency coordination to address the scourge of human trafficking. In addition to the ACTeams, each U.S. Attorney now participates in some form of anti-trafficking task force.
In addition to our own federal prosecutions, the department’s grant making components are funding state and local law enforcement agencies and victim services organizations to support multidisciplinary, victim-centered task forces dedicated to investigating trafficking crimes and providing culturally-competent assistance to victims.
By taking a multi-disciplinary approach to combating human trafficking and working with our federal, state local and nonprofit partners we can ensure that victims obtain the services that they need and that offenders are prosecuted and sentenced to lengthy jail sentences.
The Fight to End Human Trafficking Contineus
November 21st, 2012
Posted by Tracy Russo
Deputy Attorney General James Cole met with Jada Pinkett Smith last week to discuss the department’s extensive efforts to end human trafficking. Ms. Pinkett Smith founded the organization,
Don’t Sell Bodies, to raise awareness about this global epidemic and advocate for victims of trafficking. Ms. Pinkett Smith was joined by former trafficking victims who now work to raise awareness and eliminate human trafficking, including Minh Dang and Withelma "T" Ortiz-Macey, Glamour magazine’s 2011 Woman of the Year.
During the meeting the group discussed remarks made by Deputy Cole before the INTERPOL General Assembly in Italy earlier this month, which largely focused on the department’s myriad of efforts to combat trafficking, including the links between transnational organized crime and human trafficking and the department’s prosecution and training efforts in this area.
Human trafficking cases are prosecuted by several Department of Justice components, including the Civil Rights Division and its specialized Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, the Criminal Division through the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, and individual U.S. Attorney’s Offices. These cases are investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Homeland Security Investigations, and partners at the Departments of Labor and State.
In recent years we have demonstrated unprecedented success in fighting both labor and sex trafficking. We are bringing a record number of federal cases, while at the same time, more states than ever before have passed their own anti-trafficking laws. The department has increased the number of human trafficking prosecutions by more than 30 percent in forced labor and adult sex trafficking cases, while also increasing the number of convictions in Innocence Lost National Initiative cases by 30 percent.
Working with federal, state, local, and international law enforcement agencies, we recently secured the longest sentence ever imposed in a forced labor case. In United States v. Botsvynyuk, the lead defendant was sentenced to life in prison plus twenty years, and his co-conspirator was sentenced to twenty years, for their respective roles in an organized human trafficking scheme that held its victims in forced labor on cleaning crews in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Just over a year ago, we initiated a pilot project of multi-agency Anti-Trafficking Coordination Teams (ACTeams) in six judicial districts in the United States. These task forces will prove the value of interagency coordination to address the scourge of human trafficking. In addition to the ACTeams, each U.S. Attorney now participates in some form of anti-trafficking task force.
In addition to our own federal prosecutions, the department’s grant making components are funding state and local law enforcement agencies and victim services organizations to support multidisciplinary, victim-centered task forces dedicated to investigating trafficking crimes and providing culturally-competent assistance to victims.
By taking a multi-disciplinary approach to combating human trafficking and working with our federal, state local and nonprofit partners we can ensure that victims obtain the services that they need and that offenders are prosecuted and sentenced to lengthy jail sentences.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
MAN CHARGED WITH RUNNING ILLEGAL GAMBLING BUSNIESS
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Monday, May 7, 2012
Alabama Resident Arrested and Charged with Bribery and Gambling Conspiracy
WASHINGTON – An Alabama man was arrested today on charges of conspiracy, federal programs bribery and operating an illegal gambling business, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
An indictment filed in the Northern District of Alabama and unsealed today charges Robert E. Taylor Jr., 41, of Warrior, Ala., with conspiring to bribe and bribing a public official in order to protect his interest in an illegal gambling business. According to the indictment, from approximately November 2010 to approximately April 2011, Taylor and several others operated an illegal gambling business in the city of Kimberly, Ala., approximately 20 miles north of Birmingham, by placing numerous video gambling machines in private residences in and around the city.
The indictment further alleges that Taylor conspired with eight other individuals to expand, protect and conceal the illegal gambling business, including by offering and paying bribes to Kimberly’s mayor, a public official. In exchange for more than a dozen cash payments over the course of 15 weeks totaling $4,000, the mayor was expected to ensure that law enforcement officers from Kimberly and the surrounding area did not interfere with the illegal gambling operation. In addition, the mayor was expected to notify a member of the conspiracy if Kimberly or any neighboring jurisdictions received complaints or tips regarding the illegal gambling business.
The indictment reveals, however, that the mayor of Kimberly was cooperating with the FBI throughout the entire period of the investigation.
An indictment is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Anthony J. Phillips and Richard B. Evans of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, and investigated by the FBI.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
DETROIT MEDICARE FRAUDSTER PLEADS GUILTY
The following excerpt is from the Department of Justice website:
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Three Detroit-Area Clinic Owners Plead Guilty for Their Roles in $5.4 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme
WASHINGTON – Three Detroit-area clinic owners pleaded guilty today for their participation in a Medicare fraud scheme, announced the Department of Justice, the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Karina Hernandez, 28, Marieva Briceno, 46, and Henry Briceno, 58, all of Miami, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Arthur J. Tarnow in the Eastern District of Michigan to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. At sentencing, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
According to the plea documents, Hernandez managed the daily operations of three Livonia, Mich., clinics: Blessed Medical Clinic, Alpha & Omega Medical Clinic and Manuel Medical Clinic. Marieva Briceno contributed capital to fund the opening of one clinic, and assisted her daughter, Hernandez, in the daily management of the clinics. At each clinic, Hernandez and Marieva Briceno hired recruiters, who paid cash bribes to Medicare beneficiaries to attend the clinics and provide their Medicare numbers and other information. Hernandez and Marieva Briceno admitted that they used the beneficiary information to bill for medically unnecessary diagnostic tests and treatments. Henry Briceno admitted that he incorporated Manuel Medical Clinic and opened a bank account to conceal the actual ownership of the clinic. According to court documents, Blessed Medical Clinic, Alpha & Omega Medical Clinic and Manuel Medical Clinic fraudulently billed Medicare for $5.4 million during the course of the scheme.
Today’s guilty pleas were announced by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Barbara L. McQuade; Special Agent in Charge Andrew G. Arena of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Lamont Pugh III of the HHS Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) Chicago Regional Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frances Lee Carlson and Philip A. Ross of the Eastern District of Michigan, with assistance from Assistant Chief Gejaa T. Gobena of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. The case was investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG, and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Since their inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations in nine districts have charged more than 1,190 individuals, who collectively have falsely billed the Medicare program for more than $3.6 billion. In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, is taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Three Detroit-Area Clinic Owners Plead Guilty for Their Roles in $5.4 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme
WASHINGTON – Three Detroit-area clinic owners pleaded guilty today for their participation in a Medicare fraud scheme, announced the Department of Justice, the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Karina Hernandez, 28, Marieva Briceno, 46, and Henry Briceno, 58, all of Miami, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Arthur J. Tarnow in the Eastern District of Michigan to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. At sentencing, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
According to the plea documents, Hernandez managed the daily operations of three Livonia, Mich., clinics: Blessed Medical Clinic, Alpha & Omega Medical Clinic and Manuel Medical Clinic. Marieva Briceno contributed capital to fund the opening of one clinic, and assisted her daughter, Hernandez, in the daily management of the clinics. At each clinic, Hernandez and Marieva Briceno hired recruiters, who paid cash bribes to Medicare beneficiaries to attend the clinics and provide their Medicare numbers and other information. Hernandez and Marieva Briceno admitted that they used the beneficiary information to bill for medically unnecessary diagnostic tests and treatments. Henry Briceno admitted that he incorporated Manuel Medical Clinic and opened a bank account to conceal the actual ownership of the clinic. According to court documents, Blessed Medical Clinic, Alpha & Omega Medical Clinic and Manuel Medical Clinic fraudulently billed Medicare for $5.4 million during the course of the scheme.
Today’s guilty pleas were announced by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Barbara L. McQuade; Special Agent in Charge Andrew G. Arena of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Lamont Pugh III of the HHS Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) Chicago Regional Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frances Lee Carlson and Philip A. Ross of the Eastern District of Michigan, with assistance from Assistant Chief Gejaa T. Gobena of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. The case was investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG, and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Since their inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations in nine districts have charged more than 1,190 individuals, who collectively have falsely billed the Medicare program for more than $3.6 billion. In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, is taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
FBI'S PROGRESS REPORT ON ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
The following excerpt is from the FBI website:
“February 27th, 2012 Posted by Tracy Russo
The Justice Department recently published its first annual progress report on environmental justice (PDF). The report fulfills a landmark commitment made by agencies across the federal government to publish a yearly progress report on a common goal: to provide all Americans – regardless of their race, ethnicity, or income status – full protection under the nation’s environmental, civil rights, and health laws.
The Department of Justice is deeply committed to this goal. We recognize that low-income, minority, and Native American communities are often disproportionately burdened with pollution, resulting in disproportionate health problems, greater obstacles to economic growth, and a lower quality of life.
Attorney General Eric Holder said:
“As reflected in the Department of Justice’s Progress Report, we are integrating the principles of environmental justice into our work and will continue to take steps to ensure that every American has full protection under the nation’s environmental, civil rights, and health laws. In fulfilling our mission, the Department is guided by the principles of environmental justice: that all Americans deserve a safe and healthy environment in which to live their lives and a meaningful opportunity to participate in the decisions that affect their wellbeing.”
We have achieved meaningful results for these communities, and are building a strong foundation to ensure that we achieve even greater results in the years to come.
To highlight just a few of the accomplishments:
The Justice Department played a key role in developing the interagency memorandum of understanding (MOU) on environmental justice, which was signed by seventeen federal agencies, and also plays an active, ongoing role in the Interagency Workgroup on Environmental Justice.
Representatives from the Environment and Natural Resources Division, the Civil Rights Division, and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices have met with dozens of communities across the country who have been affected by pollution, environmental justice advocates, the corporate community, and other stakeholders. The Community Relations Service facilitated meaningful participation in environmental decision-making through mediation and conciliation for community leaders and state and local officials.
The Justice Department is working to achieve meaningful results for communities in its cases. In cities across the U.S., such as St. Louis, Mo. and Jersey City, N.J., the Department brought cases to address illegal discharges from aging municipal wastewater and stormwater systems. Settlements in these cases improve public health and the environment for the entire affected community, while also addressing the specific impacts violations have on disproportionately burdened communities. Litigation results benefiting communities across the country – in Massachusetts, Washington, Texas, Kansas, Georgia, Indiana, and many other states – are detailed in our report.
Every American deserves clean air, water, and land in the places where they live, work, play, and learn. This administration has made significant strides in achieving these goals, but work remains. We will continue to ensure that we are coordinating effectively with other federal agencies on these issues. We will continue to engage communities, business and industry, and state, local, and tribal governments in this effort. We will also continue to integrate environmental justice considerations into the work we do every day.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)