Florida Doctor Indicted for Role in $13.8 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

A Southfield, Michigan-based doctor pleaded guilty today for his role in a scheme involving approximately $2.5 million in fraudulent Medicare claims for home health and physician services that were medically unnecessary, not provided and procured through the payment of illegal kickbacks.

“Dr. Seaman’s class action challenged alleged anticompetitive conduct occurring at the intersection of two important sectors of the U.S. economy: healthcare and higher education,” said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division.  “Today’s filings, along with the Statement of Interest we filed in March, make clear that the Antitrust Division will use all of its enforcement and advocacy tools to ensure that labor markets across the economy are free from anticompetitive conduct and that workers receive the benefits of robust competition for their labor.”

A New London, North Carolina, woman pleaded guilty to employment tax fraud, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Matthew G.T. Martin of the Middle District of North Carolina. 

Attorney General William P. Barr today announced the third annual Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Policing. 

An owner of a now-defunct Miami, Florida, home health care agency was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for his participation in a scheme that caused Medicare to pay approximately $1 million in false and fraudulent claims for home health care services that were never provided.

A Grand Blanc, Michigan, man, who previously operated adult foster care homes, was convicted today of payroll tax fraud, obstructing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and failure to file tax returns, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Raylaine Knope, 42, and Terry J. Knope II, 45, pleaded guilty today in the Eastern District of Louisiana to criminal civil rights charges arising from their abuse of an adult woman with cognitive disabilities. Both defendants pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to obtain forced, unpaid household labor and services from the victim, identified as “D.P.” Raylaine Knope also pleaded guilty to one count of forced labor and one count of misprision of a felony. Terry J. Knope II, also pleaded guilty to one count of violating D.P.’s federal Fair Housing Act rights, one count of a hate crime, and one count of misprision of a felony. 

Thank you for that kind introduction, and thank you so much for having me.  This is the start of my third week as the Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General, and as the head of the Office of the Associate Attorney General.  I feel tremendously honored to join a leadership team that includes our new Attorney General, Bill Barr, and our even newer Deputy Attorney General, Jeff Rosen, who will be sworn in tomorrow.  Our philosophy is that an agency can never be led by too many lawyers from Kirkland & Ellis.