Apr. 13--A Texas man admitted defrauding the federal Medicare program out of more than $1 million through a false storefront in Derry.
Mento Nnana Kaluanya of Houston has reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors that holds him responsible for bilking Medicare for $1.6 million between 2006 and 2008 through HyCentral Medical Supplies and Equipment Company, located at 121 W. Broadway. Under the agreement, Kaluanya, the owner of HyCentral, admitted buying Medicare beneficiary numbers and patient documentation from individuals. He then used that information to make fraudulent claims.
In several examples offered in the plea agreement, Kaluanya submitted claims for durable medical equipment on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries using a doctor's order that had a doctor's name printed on it, but was not signed or dated. The equipment was delivered to the beneficiary, even though they did not want or need it, and a doctor had never prescribed it. The Medicare program paid thousands of dollars to HyCentral's bank account for each fraudulent order. Kaluanya forged prescriptions in the names of at least 12 physicians, according to federal court documents. Several doctors interviewed by federal authorities in Texas, Louisiana and California, said the patients whose forms their names were on were not their patients, according to court documents.
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Prosecutors said the Derry business was used solely as a front.
"The office was not staffed 9 to 5 on Mondays through Fridays as the defendant told Medicare, rather the defendant had a friend go to the store periodically ..." the plea agreement states. "The store did not carry any inventory and was not accessible to the Medicare beneficiaries."
Nearly all of the beneficiaries whose information was used were from Texas, according to the agreement. HyCentral billed Medicare nearly $4 million, and was paid $1.6 million between May 1, 2006 and Dec. 11, 2008.
Kaluanya has agreed to pay $1.6 million in restitution, and full restitution to all victims in the case, according to the plea agreement.
He was indicted on 14 charges in May 2009. His plea agreement cuts the charges down to two -- one count of health-care fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. The counts carry a maximum penalty of 10 years and two years in federal prison, but prosecutors won't object to Kaluanya's request for a more lenient sentence, according to the agreement.
His case was originally handled in New Hampshire District Court, but was later transferred to the U.S. District Court of Southern Texas in October 2009.
Kaluanya reached the plea agreement last month. He is scheduled to be sentenced May 17.
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How Common is Medicare Fraud?Originally from: http://www.nursinglink.monster.com/news/articles/12065-how-common-is-medicare-fraud
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