A court in the United States of America has
sentenced a Cameroonian lady to 75years in prison for her role in a $13 million
(7,257,740,953 F CFA- Seven Billion Two Hundred and Fifty Seven Million
Seven Hundred and Forty Thousand, Nine Hundred and Fifty Three Francs)
Medicare fraud scheme, by a U.S.
53 years old Marie Neba,was
slammed by the District Judge Melinda Harmon of the Southern District of
Texas on Friday August 11 2017.
Read the decision below in a release from the Department of Justice Texas:
.Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, August 11, 2017.
.Owner of Home Health Agency Sentenced to 75 Years in Prison for Involvement in$13 Million Medicare Fraud Conspiracy
The owner and director of nursing of a Houston home health agency was
sentenced today to 75 years in prison for her role in a $13 million
Medicare fraud scheme.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth
A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S.
Attorney Abe Martinez of the Southern District of Texas,Special Agent in
Charge Perrye K. Turner of the FBI’s Houston Field Office, Special
Agent in Charge C.J. Porter of the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services-Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Dallas Region and
Special Agent in Charge D. Richard Goss of the Houston Field Office of
IRS-Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI) made the announcement.
Marie Neba, 53, of Sugarland, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District
Judge Melinda Harmon of the Southern District of Texas.
In
November 2016, Neba was convicted after a two-week jury trial of one
count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, three counts of health
care fraud, one count of conspiracy to pay and receive health care kick
backs, one count of payment and receipt of health care kickbacks, one
count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and one count of
making health care false statements.
According to the evidence
presented at trial, from February 2006 through June 2015, Neba and
others conspired to defraud Medicare by submitting over $10 million in
false and fraudulent claims for home health services to Medicare through
Fiango Home Healthcare Inc., owned by Neba and her husband, Ebong
Tilong, 53, also of Sugarland, Texas.
The trial evidence showed
that using the money that Medicare paid for such fraudulent claims, Neba
paid illegal kickbacks to patient recruiters for referring Medicare
beneficiaries to Fiango for home health services.Neba also paid illegal
kickbacks to Medicare beneficiaries for allowing Fiango to bill Medicare
using beneficiaries’Medicare information for home health services that
were not medically necessary or not provided, the evidence showed. Neba
falsified medical records to make it appear as though the Medicare
beneficiaries qualified for and received home health services. Neba
also attempted to suborn perjury from a co-defendant in the federal
court house, the evidence showed.
According to the evidence
presented at trial, from February 2006 to June 2015, Neba received more
than $13 million from Medicare for home health services that were not
medically necessary or not provided to Medicare beneficiaries.To date,
four others have pleaded guilty based on their roles in the fraudulent
scheme at Fiango. Nirmal Mazumdar, M.D., the former medical director of
Fiango, pleaded guilty to a scheme to commit health care fraud for his
role at Fiango. Daisy Carter and Connie Ray Island, two patient
recruiters for Fiango, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health
care fraud for their roles at Fiango. On August 11, Island was
sentenced to 33 months in prison. Mazumdar and Carter are awaiting
sentencing. After the first week of trial, Tilong pleaded guilty to one
count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, three counts of
healthcare fraud, one count of conspiracy to pay and receive healthcare
kickbacks, three countsof payment and receipt of healthcare kickbacks,
and one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. Tilong is
scheduled to be sentenced on October 13.The case was investigated by the
IRS-CI, FBI and HHS-OIG under the supervision of the Fraud Section of
the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s
Office for the Southern District of Texas. The case is being prosecuted
by Trial Attorney William S.W. Chang and Senior Trial Attorney Jonathan
T. Baum of the Fraud Section.The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud
Strike Force, which is part of a joint initiative 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.
The Medicare Fraud Strike Force operates in nine locations
nationwide. Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud
Strike Force has charged over 3,500 defendants who collectively have
falsely billed the Medicare program for over $12.5 billion.
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)
