The owner of a Pennsylvania hospice care business, Matthew Kolodesh, was convicted of Medicare fraud. Jurors found he billed Medicare for over $14 million in claims for patients that were not eligible to receive Medicare benefits. In many cases, the services were billed but never provided. Prosecutors say that Kolodesh spent $9.6 million of hospice […]
Healthcare Fraud Defendant Bought 20 Cars With Tax Dollars
Prosecutors claim Regina Swims-King defrauded the federal Medicare program out of millions of dollars. She was charged with several counts of healthcare fraud earlier this year but the indictment was sealed and only last week did more details about her alleged spending spree using tax dollars emerge. According to the indictment, Swims-King owns Angelic Hospice, […]
Feds Take Ambulance Company Owners For A Ride – Health Care Fraud
Earlier this month, a federal judge in Philadelphia sentenced Aleksandr N. Zagorodny, 40, to 78 months in prison for a health care fraud scheme involving MedEx Ambulance, Inc. He was the former president of the business. His brother, Sergey Zagorodny, 36, was sentenced to 5 years in prison for his involvement in the health care […]
Wisconsin Lawyer & Physician Sanctioned in Medicaid Fraud Case
A Wisconsin lawyer and physician have both been admonished for their actions in a Medicaid fraud case (whistleblower suit) pending in a Milwaukee federal court. The lawyer on the case, Rebecca Geitman, was ordered to pay attorneys fees of $26,000. Those sanctions and fee awards unfortunately threaten to overshadow the larger and important legal issues […]
Health Care Fraud – Feds Arrest 75 People
Health care fraud costs Americans $80 billion per year according to the FBI. And the cost is rising! The feds can’t lock up the culprits fast enough – if they can even find them. Law enforcement officials in Puerto Rico are trying to make a dent; the Justice Department announced that 75 people were arrested in […]
Pharmacists Hit Whistleblower Lottery – Collects $597 Million!
The average Joe buys the occasional Powerball ticket hoping to win a few million bucks. T. Mark Jones, a pharmacist from Key West, decided to roll up his sleeves and become a whistleblower. His investigation of Big Pharma’s overbilling schemes saved taxpayers $3 billion dollars and earned $597,000,000.00 in whistleblower award money. Some say “crime […]
No Show Doctor Convicted of Medicare Fraud – Whistleblower Post
New York physician Gustave Drivas was convicted of federal Medicare fraud following a trial in a Brooklyn federal court. He faces 20 years when sentenced later this summer. Medicare fraud costs taxpayers billions each year. Thankfully many of these crimes are solved by whistleblowers. According to court records, Drivas was affiliated with a clinic in […]
Feds Charge 89 With Medicare Fraud – Whistleblowers Rejoice
Earlier this month, federal officials arrested 89 people in Miami, Detroit, Tampa, Houston, New York and Los Angeles and charged them with health care fraud. The action was a coordinated effort involving the FBI, Postal Inspectors, IRS, Department of Health and Human Services and local officials. Historically, many of these cases come to light because of […]
Fake Drugs Represent New Whistleblower Opportunity
Fake and gray market pharmaceuticals represent a growing problem in the United States. Medical providers pressed by mounting costs sometimes resort to purchasing drugs manufactured in Turkey, India and other foreign countries. Unless produced in an FDA inspected facility, there is no way to insure those drugs are safe or even contain the prescribed amount […]
Deadly Healthcare – Rewarding Hospitals For Mistakes (Health Care Fraud Post)
by Brian Mahany Doctors, nurses and health care workers deserve the utmost respect. 99% of them do a wonderful job, even in less than ideal conditions. Unfortunately, the Institute of Medicine says that hospital errors kill 100,000 Americans per year according to an article published by Yahoo Health. If that number is correct, that is […]