White Collar Crime: Florida Executive Pleads Guilty In $110 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme
According to a report from Hoodline, an executive from Florida has entered a guilty plea in a $110 million Medicare fraud case in a federal court in Boston, Massachusetts. Steven Richardson—a 40-year-old man from Broward County, Florida—pleaded guilty to a single count of federal conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Here, our Orlando white collar criminal defense attorney discusses the charges and plea in more detail.
The Fraud Case: An Alleged Scheme to Target Medicare Beneficiaries
On February 16th, 2024, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced that Steven Richardson of South Florida has agreed to enter a guilty plea in a health care fraud case. To be clear, the plea hearing has not yet been scheduled. Mr. Richardson is the owner of two companies—Expansion Media and Hybrid Management Group—and he was cited in a $110 million telemedicine fraud case. As stated within the charging documents from the Department of Justice (DOJ), Mr. Richardson used his companies to carry out a scheme that involved generating medically unnecessary orders for durable medical equipment (DME) by exploiting Medicare beneficiaries through telemarketing leads. Prosecutors contend that Mr. Richardson’s companies collaborated with medical staffing firms to obtain fraudulent signatures from doctors and nurses on prepopulated orders without any actual beneficiary contact. As a consequence, Medicare was billed for unnecessary medical equipment. The U.S. Attorney’s Office indicates that Steven Richardson has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
The Charge: Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud
Conspiracy to commit health care fraud is a very serious federal felony criminal offense. Any person facing this type of charge should consult a white collar defense lawyer right away. Here some key things to know about the law:
- The Charge: Conspiracy to commit health care fraud involves planning and executing a scheme to defraud health care benefit programs by submitting false claims for payment or approval. This charge is applied when individuals or entities collaborate to use fraudulent means to obtain funds from federal health care programs under false pretenses.
- The Elements: To secure a conviction for conspiracy to commit health care fraud, the prosecution must prove several key elements: 1) Agreement, 2) Intent, and 3) Overt Act. Without an overt act by at least one party, prosecutors will not be able to prove the charge.
- The Penalties: Conviction for conspiracy to commit health care fraud can result in severe penalties, including a maximum of ten years in federal prison. A defendant can also face serious financial penalties.
Contact Our Orlando, FL White Collar Criminal Defense Lawyer Today
At The Baez Law Firm, our Orlando white collar criminal defense attorney has the professional expertise that you can rely on. If you or your loved one was charged with any type of Medicare fraud charge, we can help. Give us a call now or connect with us online for a completely confidential initial appointment. We represent white collar defendants in Orlando and throughout Central Florida.
Source:
hoodline.com/2024/02/medicare-s-110m-misery-telemed-tycoon-tangles-with-feds-in-florida-fraud-fiasco/
