Medical Equipment Suppliers Convicted of Health Care Fraud | OPA

A federal jury convicted two gentlemen today for engaging in a plan to defraud Medicare Gain and Medicaid managed treatment programs of over $3.8 million.

According to court documents and evidence introduced at demo, Ikechukwu Udeokoro, 47, of North Bergen, New Jersey, owned Meik Professional medical Devices and Supply (Meik), a strong health care devices provider that was located in the Bronx, New York. Ayodeji Fasonu, 56, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, was Meik’s supervisor. Via Meik, Udeokoro and Fasonu billed Medicare Benefit and Medicaid managed care ideas for hundreds of high-priced individual assist units that ended up under no circumstances delivered to individuals or caregivers. These guidance techniques involved huge products that were being created to aid with lifting motionless sufferers and individuals in nursing residences. In truth, Udeokoro and Fasonu offered clients with recliner chairs that experienced a seat raise function. Involving December 2010 and February 2014, Udeokoro and Fasonu fraudulently billed Medicare Edge and Medicaid managed care ideas far more than $3.8 million and were being paid somewhere around $2.4 million.

Udeokoro and Fasonu have been each convicted of wellbeing care fraud. They are scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 14 and Aug. 16, respectively, and just about every faces a optimum penalty of 10 yrs in prison. A federal district court docket choose will determine any sentence right after thinking of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory elements.

Assistant Attorney Normal Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Japanese District of New York Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Felony Investigative Division Assistant Director in Demand Michael J. Driscoll of the FBI New York Discipline Business and Specific Agent in Cost Scott J. Lampert of the Department of Well being and Human Services Business of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Business office of Investigations built the announcement.

The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case.

Trial Lawyers Andrew Estes and Patrick J. Campbell of the Prison Division’s Fraud Segment are prosecuting the scenario.

The Fraud Area sales opportunities the Legal Division’s attempts to battle health treatment fraud through the Overall health Treatment Fraud Strike Pressure System. Due to the fact March 2007, this program, comprised of 15 strike forces running in 24 federal districts, has billed far more than 4,200 defendants who collectively have billed the Medicare plan for additional than $19 billion. In addition, the Facilities for Medicare & Medicaid Companies, working in conjunction with the Office environment of the Inspector Standard for the Office of Health and Human Companies, are getting methods to maintain suppliers accountable for their involvement in wellbeing care fraud techniques. Far more information can be discovered at https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/well being-treatment-fraud-device.