Four Caught in Medicare Fraud Scheme

Four people in Texas have been charged with allegedly paying Medicare beneficiaries with funds from illegal kickbacks.

According to court documents, Ebong Tilong and Marie Neba of Sugar Land, Texas were both arrested for their alleged involvement in a multi-million dollar Medicare fraud conspiracy scheme.

The home-health agency that Tilong and Neba owned and directed was used to bill Medicare for nonexistent or medically unneeded services, according to the indictment. The Department of Justice said in a statement that this is merely a formal accusation at this time with defendants currently presumed innocent.

The DOJ says that Neba, a director of nursing, may have falsified medical records to make it seem like Medicare beneficiaries indeed qualified for and received home-health services although such documentation appears to have either been altered or completely fabricated. It is estimated that Tilong and Neba received nearly $13 million over a nine year period that began in 2006 for fabricated or unnecessary home health services.

The DOJ alleges that illegal kickbacks were supposedly paid to physicians and others which include Daisy Carter and Connie Ray Island. The kickbacks were paid in exchange for the referral of Medicare beneficiaries to home-health services and for billing actions through Medicare.

The federal government takes a very dim view of health care fraud. The Department of Justice, Medicaid, Medicare and other government backed health care programs have been closely scrutinizing the details of claims and are on the lookout for fraud now more than ever. Everyone is affected by claims that are fraudulent because we all pay for them through our taxpayer dollars. Many of these costs can be traced to at least a portion of the high price for healthcare our country.

If you suspect that there may be health care fraud when dealing with any medical procedure or claim, contact the law offices of Bottar Law PLLC today. We are here for you and to protect your rights. When you call our offices, we can schedule free consultation and legal analysis to discuss your case.