Adejare Ademefun, a durable medical equipment (DME) supplier in Los Angeles, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for Medicare fraud. Mr. Ademefun submitted nearly $1 million in fraudulent claims to the Medicare program for expensive power wheelchairs. Following his prison term, Mr. Ademefun will serve three years supervised release. According to the Justice Department, he must also pay $499,548 in restitution.
Equipment Supplier Fraudulently Billed Medicare $941K for Power Wheelchairs
Mr. Ademefun pleaded guilty in healthcare fraud in February 2010. As the owner and operator of Jamef Medical Supply, Mr. Ademefun admitted that he paid kickbacks to co-conspirators for medical prescriptions and other information needed to bill Medicare. About 95 percent of Mr. Adenefun’s fraudulent Medicare billing was for power wheelchairs, the most expensive DME for which he could bill Medicare. Mr. Ademefun also admitted that the wheelchairs he supplied where not actually wanted or used by the Medicare beneficiaries in whose name they were billed to Medicare.
Mr. Ademefun submitted about $941,028 in false claims to Medicare between January 2006 and October 2009, when he was arrested.
Whistleblowers Are Important Part of Fight Against Medicare Fraud
If you have evidence or information about Medicare fraud, you can be a critical part of the solution to this costly problem. Evidence provided by whistleblowers is so valuable to federal prosecutors that the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act give whistleblowers the right to sue the wrongdoers and to share with the government any money recovered in the lawsuit.
The attorneys at Waters & Kraus have decades of experience working with whistleblowers. Contact us or call our whistleblower attorneys at 800.226.9880 to learn more about our practice and how we can assist.