Federal agents from the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and the FBI arrested four Detroit-area residents as part of an ongoing investigation into a $14.5 million home health care fraud scheme.
In a two-count second superseding indictment returned on Dec. 2, 2010, four additional individuals are alleged to have participated in a Medicare fraud scheme operated out of Patient Choice Home Healthcare (Patient Choice) and All American Home Care (All American), two Oakland County, Mich., home health agencies that purported to provide in-home health services. Maira Suleman, 30; John Thomas, 32; Sherry Prescott, 50; and Myra Jones, 50, were each charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Pramod Raval, M.D., 57, who was previously charged with conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute, was also charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud in the indictment unsealed today.
Twenty-one individuals, including the four arrested today, have now been charged for their alleged roles in this health care fraud scheme. The original indictment was returned on Jan. 12, 2010, with the first superseding indictment returned on July 13, 2010. To date, 10 defendants have pleaded guilty for their roles