Fresno, CA - CVC Heart Center to Pay $1.2 M to Settle Allegations of Billing Health Care Programs for Medically Unnecessary Nuclear Stress Tests

Cardiovascular Consultants Heart Center (CVC Heart Center), a cardiology clinic with offices in Fresno and Clovis, and its shareholder physicians — Dr. Kevin Boran, Dr. Michael Gen, Dr. Rohit Sundrani, Dr. Donald Gregory, and Dr. William Hanks — ... More...   $1200000 (11-29-2017 - CA)

Los Angeles, CA - Former Employees of Southern California Ambulance Company and Dialysis Center Plead Guilty to Medicare Fraud Charges

A former employee of a Southern California ambulance company and a former employee of a Los Angeles dialysis treatment center both pleaded guilty on November 27, 2017 to fraud charges for their roles in a fraud scheme that resulted in more than $6.6 millio... More...   $0 (11-28-2017 - CA)

Urbana, IL - Decatur Woman to Serve 18 Months in Prison for Defrauding Home Services Program

A Decatur, Ill., woman, Charissie Davis, was sentenced on November 20, 2017 to serve 18 months in federal prison for defrauding the Home Services Program, a Medicaid waiver program. The health care benefit program provides funding to pay personal assistants who aid qualifying disabled individuals ... More...   $0 (11-27-2017 - IL)

Tampa, FL - Former Wellcare General Counsel Sentenced For False Statements To The Florida Medicaid Program

Thaddeus M.S. Bereday pleaded guilty on June 26, 2017.

A federal grand jury in the Middle District of Florida returned an indictment on March 2, 2011, charging five former WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (“WellCare”) executives (Todd S. Farha, Paul L. Behrens, William L. Kale, P... More...   $0 (11-25-2017 - FL)

We are asked to consider the viability of two potential defenses to an alleged False Claims Act violation that arise in the context of the Medicare Part D Program: the government knowledge inference, which can defeat a finding of scienter in certain circumstances, and the element of materiality.1 The District Court relied upon the government knowledge inference doctrine in dismissing the claims. A... More...   $0 (11-23-2017 - )

The issue presented on this appeal is whether Civil Service Law § 167 (8), as amended, authorizing a reduction of the State's contribution to health insurance benefits for State employees, including members of the State judiciary, violates the Judicial Compensation Clause [*2]of the State Constitution (NY Const, art VI, § 25 [a]). We conclude the State's contribution is not judicial compensation p... More...   $0 (11-21-2017 - NY)

Brooklyn, NY - Operator of Purported Durable Medical Equipment Providers Pleads Guilty to Health Care Fraud Charges for Role in Fraud Scheme

Suzanna Meliksetyan, an operator of multiple purported durable medical equipment (DME) companies pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud for her role in a scheme to defraud Healthfirst, a non-profit, New York-based healt... More...   $0 (11-20-2017 - NY)

Artur Hefczyc appeals from an order denying his motion for class certification in
his lawsuit against Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego (Rady). On behalf of a proposed
class, Hefczyc seeks declaratory relief to establish that Rady's form contract, signed by
2
patients or guarantors of patients who receive emergency room care, authorizes Rady to
charge only for the reasonable ... More...   $0 (11-18-2017 - CA)

Jackson, MS - Mississippi Skilled Nursing Facility, Related Companies, and Executives Agree to Pay $1.25 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations of Grossly Substandard Care to Facility Residents

The Department of Justice announced today that Hyperion Foundation, a Georgia not-for-profit entity (Hyperion), Julie Mittleider, a resident of Georgia and Hyperion’s former President, Alta... More...   $1250000 (11-16-2017 - MS)

Abingdon, VA - Coeburn Doctor Pleads Guilty to Health Care Fraud, Distributing Ritalin - Gurcharan Kanwal Agrees to Surrender Medical License; Never Practice Medicine Again

A Coeburn, Virginia doctor, who prescribed Ritalin and hydrocodone to an undercover investigator without a legitimate medical purpose, pleaded guilty on November 9, 2017 to federal health care fraud and drug distribut... More...   $0 (11-14-2017 - VA)

The issue presented is whether an adult foster care
provider claiming unjust enrichment may recover the reasonable
value of its services from a defendant who, through
fraud, obtained a lower rate from the provider for the services.
We conclude that, generally, a defendant who obtains
discounted services as a result of fraud is unjustly enriched
to the extent of the reasonab... More...   $0 (11-09-2017 - OR)

In 2014, following investigations by the Indiana Attorney General and FBI, a grand jury issued a four-count indictment for Medicaid fraud against defendants Wanda Shorter and her company, Empowerment Non-Emer-gency Medical Transport, Inc. (“Empowerment”). Specifically,
∗ Of the Western District of Wisconsin, sitting by designation.
2 No. 16-2053
Shorter and Empowerment were charg... More...   $0 (11-01-2017 - IN)

Kansas City, MO - Chemed Corp. and Vitas Hospice Services Agree to Pay $75 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Relating to Billing for Ineligible Patients and Inflated Levels of Care

Chemed Corporation and various wholly-owned subsidiaries, including Vitas Hospice Services LLC and Vitas Healthcare Corporation, have agreed to pay $75 million to resolve a government lawsuit all... More...   $75000000 (10-31-2017 - MO)

Dallas, TX - Last Defendant Sentenced in Health Care Fraud Scheme

Cynthia Stiger, 52, of Dallas, Texas, who was convicted in April 2016 of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay to 120 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $23,630,777.26 in restitution, joint and several with all codefendants to Medicare and... More...   $0 (10-28-2017 - TX)

Houston, TX - Former President of Harris County Medical Society and Affiliated Facilities Settle Allegations of Medicare Fraud

Dr. Gurunath Thota Reddy, Memorial Hermann Endoscopy and Surgery Center North Houston, United Surgical Partners International and Digestive & Liver Disease Consultants P.A. entered into an agreement to pay $1,575,000 to settle allegations of Medicare fraud. The cl... More...   $1575000 (10-24-2017 - TX)

Plaintiff and appellant Paul Kendall's second amended complaint asserts several
types of class-wide claims that challenge the billing and collection practices of the health
facility operating an emergency room where he received care, defendant and respondent
Scripps Health (Scripps). As relevant here, Kendall seeks declaratory relief on contract
interpretation theories, and remedi... More...   $0 (10-24-2017 - CA)

Austin, TX - Austin Area Patient Recruiter Pleads Guilty to Receiving Kickbacks in Health Care Fraud Scheme

Glen Elwood McKenzie, Jr., age 68, of Cedar Park, TX, pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with a Health Care Fraud .

Appearing before United States Magistrate Judge Mark Lane, McKenzie pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the federal anti-kickba... More...   $0 (10-16-2017 - TX)

St. Louis, MO - Former CEO of Benchmark Healthcare Sentenced on Health Care Fraud Charges

John Mac Sells, 53, of St. Peters, Missouri, was sentenced to 41months in prison and ordered to pay $667,201.85 in restitution.

According to court documents, between 2013 and 2016, John Sells was the chief executive officer (CEO) of Benchmark Healthcare of Festus, Inc. (Benchmark), and a nu... More...   $0 (10-06-2017 - MO)

After a two-week jury trial, Defendant-Appellants Theodore Okechuku, Elechi Oti, Emmanuel Iwuoha, and Kevin Rutledge were convicted of conspiring to unlawfully distribute hydrocodone outside the scope of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose as part of an alleged pill mill. Okechuku was also convicted of two additional firearm counts—using, carrying, and brandishing a fire... More...   $0 (10-05-2017 - TX)

The trial in this case offers two narratives. One of a hardworking man
who, angered by failures of guardrails installed across the United States—with
sometimes devastating consequences—persuaded a Texas jury of a concealed
cause of those failures. The other of the inventive genius of professors at Texas
A&M’s Transportation Institute, who, over many years of study and testing,
... More...   $0 (10-04-2017 - TX)

Minneapolis, MN - Former Mayor Of Stillwater Sentenced To A Year And A Day In Prison For Tax Fraud Conspiracy

Kenneth Frank Harycki, 54, was sentenced to a year and a day in prison for his involvement in a tax conspiracy. HARYCKI, who pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States in the ascertainment and collection of taxes on January 15, 2015.

“Mr. Haryc... More...   $0 (09-28-2017 - MN)

Little Rock, AR - Perryville Pharmacist Sent to Prison for 10 Years, to Pay $850,00 for Role in Pill Scheme

Christopher Grant Watson, 44, of Perryville, a former pharmacist and owner of Perry County Food and Drug Store, will be spending the next 10 years in federal prison.

United States District Court Judge James M. Moody sentenced Watson to a statutory maximum 120 months’ impris... More...   $0 (09-28-2017 - AR)

Minneapolis, MN - Health Care Business Owners Plead Guilty To Fraud And Tax Charges

Three defendants pleaded guilty for their involvement in a years-long, multi-million dollar heath care fraud and tax conspiracy. THURLEE BELFREY, 52, ROYLEE BELFREY, 52, and LANORE BELFREY, 42, pleaded guilty on September 14, 2017, before Senior U.S. District Judge Ann D. Montgomery in Minneapolis, Minn. T... More...   $0 (09-19-2017 - MN)

This case arises out of the drinking-water
crisis in Flint, Michigan. The Plaintiffs are residents of the City of Flint who represent
themselves and seek to represent a class of similarly situated individuals. They allege that they
have been harmed since April 2014 by the toxic condition of the Flint water supply. The
Plaintiffs filed suit against several City and State officials i... More...   $0 (09-16-2017 - MI)

John King and Tammy Drummond (collectively, “Relators”) appeal the
district court’s grant of summary judgment to Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc., on
their False Claims Act (“FCA”) claims and a subsequent ruling that partly
granted court costs to Solvay. For the reasons explained below, we AFFIRM.
2
I. Background
Relators are both former Solvay sales and marketing employees. Th... More...   $0 (09-15-2017 - TX)