A federal jury within the Southern District of Florida convicted a Florida girl yesterday for paying kickbacks in trade for Medicare affected person referrals.

According to courtroom paperwork and proof introduced at trial, Nelly Anderson, 58, of Bay Harbor Islands, was the proprietor of Dial 4 Care, a enterprise that supplied residence well being companies to Medicare beneficiaries. She employed a number of entrepreneurs and paid them kickbacks in trade for affected person referrals. Anderson then brought on the submission of claims to Medicare for residence well being companies that had been procured via the fee of unlawful kickbacks.  

The jury convicted Anderson of conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay well being care kickbacks, and two counts of paying kickbacks in reference to a federal well being care program. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 5 and faces a most penalty of 5 years in jail for the conspiracy rely and 10 years in jail for every of the kickback offenses. A federal district courtroom choose will decide any sentence after contemplating the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and different statutory elements.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division; Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Omar Pérez Aybar of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Miami Regional Office made the announcement.

The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Jessica Massey and Charles Strauss of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marx Calderon for the Southern District of Florida is dealing with asset forfeiture elements of the case. Trial Attorney Patrick J. Queenan of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section assisted with the investigation.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to fight well being care fraud via the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, comprised of 15 strike forces working in 25 federal districts, has charged greater than 5,000 defendants who collectively have billed federal well being care applications and personal insurers greater than $24 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working together with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to carry suppliers accountable for his or her involvement in well being care fraud schemes. More info might be discovered at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.