The director had perpetrated over $150 million in false Medicare claims.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) sentenced a hospice medical director to four years and two months of prison for his role in submitting over $150 million in fraudulent Medicare claims. The director served at the healthcare company Merida Group and, between 2009 to 2018, enrolled multiple patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia and gave them false information to extract expensive medical services from them.
“In some instances, Merida Group marketers falsely told patients they had less than six months to live,” the Justice Department stated. “They also sent chaplains to the patients based on the false pretense they were near death.”
While using this scheme to defraud Medicare, the director and his four co-conspirators purchased luxury trips, nightclub bottle service, and a host of other benefits. All defendants in the case received prison time for their conspiracy.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure as she oversees the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
- For wisdom for Attorney General Merrick Garland as he heads the Department of Justice.
- For DOJ officials as they investigate and prosecute federal fraud cases.
Sources: Department of Justice
