Five more Detroit residents have been charged for their roles in a $24.7 million Medicare fraud scheme involving alleged fraudulent billing for psychotherapy and home healthcare services that were medically unnecessary and/or were not actually provided. The five defendants — Mohammed Sadiq, Jamella Al-Jumail, Firas Alky, and Clarence and Beverly Cooper — are operators, marketers, and employees of psychotherapy or home healthcare clinics in the Detroit area. Four other defendants — Sachin and Dana Sharma, Abdul Malik “Tony” Al-Jumail, and Felicar Williams — were charged and arrested earlier this year for their part in the Medicare fraud scheme.
Medicare Fraud Scheme Used Patient Recruiters to Obtain Beneficiary Information
According to the Justice Department, between January 2007 and April 2012, the defendants incorporated and operated a network of purported psychotherapy and home healthcare clinics for the purpose of defrauding Medicare. The defendants allegedly applied to enroll the clinics in the Medicare program so that they could file claims against Medicare. The clinics included:
- Reliance Home Care, LLC
- Associates in Home Care Inc.
- First Choice Home Health Care Services Inc.
- Haven Adult Day Care Center LLC
- ABC Home Care Inc.
- Swift Home Care LLC
- Be Well Home Care LLC.
- Accessible Home Care Inc.
To bill Medicare, the defendants needed personal information about Medicare beneficiaries. The clinic operators allegedly paid kickbacks to patient recruiters to obtain this information. This patient information was then allegedly used to file false claims against the Medicare program for purported psychotherapy and/or home healthcare services, even though those services were not medically necessary and, in many cases, were not actually provided to the patients.
Whistleblowers Can Inform Authorities about Medicare Fraud Schemes
Medicare fraud is a serious problem that is a substantial drain on public funds. Whistleblowers are so important to fighting Medicare fraud that the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act allow whistleblowers to file a lawsuit on behalf of the federal government and to receive a share of any money recovered in the lawsuit.
Whistleblowers have rights under the False Claims Act. The attorneys at Waters & Kraus have decades of experience working with whistleblowers and can help you understand the law and the legal process involved in these cases. Contact us or call our whistleblower attorneys at 800.226.9880 to learn more about our practice and how we can assist.
