From: hounddog23x@gmail.com   
      
   Former Clinic Owner Sentenced for Role in $3.4 Million Medicaid Fraud Scheme    
   Defendant Spent Stolen Funds on Luxury Vehicles and Jewelry    
      
   U.S. Attorney's Office    
   January 08, 2015            
      
   Western District of North Carolina    
   (704) 344-6222    
   CHARLOTTE, NC--Ronnie Lorenzo Robinson, 37, of Charlotte, was sentenced today   
   to 30 months in prison for his role in a $3.4 million Medicaid fraud scheme   
   involving sham mental and behavioral health services, announced Anne M.   
   Tompkins, U.S. Attorney for    
   the Western District of North Carolina. Chief U.S. District Judge Frank D.   
   Whitney also ordered Robinson to serve three years under court supervision and   
   to pay $3,153,074 in restitution to Medicaid.    
      
   U.S. Attorney Tompkins is joined in making today's announcement by John A.   
   Strong, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI),   
   Charlotte Division and Attorney General Roy Cooper, who oversees the North   
   Carolina Medicaid    
   Investigations Division (MID).    
      
   According to filed court documents and today's sentencing hearing, from in   
   2007 to 2011, Robinson engaged in a scheme to defraud Medicaid of at least   
   $3.4 million in fraudulent reimbursement claims submitted to Medicaid. Court   
   records show that Robinson    
   owned and operated Peaceful Alternative Resources, Inc. (PAR), a purported   
   non-profit Medicaid-approved company providing mental health and mentoring   
   services with offices in Charlotte, Mooresville and Greensboro, N.C. Robinson   
   and PAR defrauded Medicaid    
   by submitting false reimbursements to the government program for bogus mental   
   health services. Contrary to the submitted claims, the claimed services were   
   either provided by unlicensed, non-Medicaid approved individuals, or were   
   never provided at all.    
      
   According to filed documents, Robinson submitted the fraudulent reimbursement   
   claims using the Medicaid provider numbers of at least three licensed   
   clinicians who had performed some work for PAR. Court records indicate that   
   these clinicians never    
   provided the claimed services and were not aware that Robinson was submitting   
   the false claims using their provider numbers. Court documents also indicate   
   that Robinson obtained Medicaid beneficiary information from other   
   organizations and used that    
   information to submit claims for the made-up services. According to court   
   documents, that Robinson submitted claims to Medicaid totaling approximately   
   $3.4 million and received approximately $3.1 million in payments. Robinson   
   pleaded guilty in January    
   2014 to two counts of health care fraud.    
      
   Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized a 2004 Land Rover   
   Range Rover HSE, a 2007 Chevrolet Suburban, a 2007 Mercedes S550 and a 1 5/8   
   carat oval ladies diamond ring, purchased with money fraudulently obtained   
   from Medicaid. Agents    
   also seized a classic 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle-Malibu, a 2006 Chrysler 300 and   
   approximately $660,000 in funds in connection with the fraud.    
      
   Robinson will report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons to begin serving his   
   sentence upon designation of a federal facility. All federal sentences are   
   served without the possibility of parole.    
      
   Two social workers, formerly employed by the Mecklenburg County Department of   
   Social Services (DSS), who provided Robinson the Medicaid beneficiary   
   information of DSS clients, have already pleaded guilty to health care fraud   
   charges. Ieshia Hicks Watkins    
   pleaded guilty in October 2014 to one count of health care fraud conspiracy   
   and one count of receiving illegal kickbacks.    
      
   Ryce Edward Hatchett pleaded guilty on Tuesday, January 6, 2015, to one count   
   of receiving illegal kickbacks. Both defendants await sentencing.    
      
   The investigation into Robinson was handled by the FBI and MID. The   
   prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelli Ferry of the U.S.   
   Attorney's Office in Charlotte.    
      
   The investigation and charges are the work of the Western District's joint   
   Health Care Fraud Task Force. The Task Force is multi-agency team of   
   experienced federal and state investigators, working in conjunction with   
   criminal and civil Assistant United    
   States Attorneys, dedicated to identifying and prosecuting those who defraud   
   the health care system, and reducing the potential for health care fraud in   
   the future. The Task Force focuses on the coordination of cases, information   
   sharing, identification    
   of trends in health care fraud throughout the region, staffing of all whistle   
   blower complaints, and the creation of investigative teams so that individual   
   agencies may focus their unique areas of expertise on investigations. The Task   
   Force builds upon    
   existing partnerships between the agencies and its work reflects a heightened   
   effort to reduce fraud and recover taxpayer dollars.    
      
   If you suspect Medicare fraud please report it by phone at 1-800-447-8477   
   (1-800-HHSTIPS), or E-Mail at HHSTips@oig.hhs.gov. To report Medicaid fraud in   
   North Carolina, call the North Carolina Medicaid Investigations Division at   
   919-881-2320.    
      
   This content has been reproduced from its original source.    
      
      
      
   http://m.fbi.gov/#http://www.fbi.gov/charlotte/press-releases/20   
   5/former-clinic-owner-sentenced-for-role-in-3.4-million-medicaid-fraud-scheme   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)