Medicare Fraud Probes Keep DOJ Hopping

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John Commins, for HealthLeaders Media, August 15, 2011

The Department of Justice had a busy week prosecuting Medicare fraud from coast to coast. Here's a rundown of some of the more notable, high-profile arrests and convictions.

LA Pastors Convicted in $14.2M Medicare DME Fraud

Two pastors of a now-defunct Los Angeles church and an accomplice have been convicted of conspiracy and fraud counts in connection with a $14.2 million Medicare fraud scheme involving durable medical equipment, the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services said.

After a two-week trial in federal court in Los Angeles, a jury found Christopher Iruke, 60; his wife, Connie Ikpoh, 49; and Aura Marroquin, 30, guilty of multiple charges. Iruke, Ikpoh, and Marroquin billed Medicare for power wheelchairs, orthotics and other DME that were not medically necessary or never provided. The couple recruited parishioners from their now-defunct Arms of Grace Christian Center to help perpetrate the scheme, prosecutors said.

Philadelphia Physician, Pharmacist Indicted in Drug Fraud Case

A 498-count indictment was unsealed this week charging 53 defendants, including a Montgomery County physician and a Northeast Philadelphia pharmacist, in a multi-million dollar drug conspiracy involving phony prescriptions, phony patients, and an alleged drug trafficking organization, federal prosecutors said. The indictment was announced by United States Attorney Zane.

In addition to charges of drug possession and drug distribution, the indictment contains 240 counts of healthcare fraud.

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