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ROME, GA—GEORGE D. HOUSER, 62, and his wife, RHONDA WASHINGTON HOUSER, 46, both of Rome, Georgia, were arraigned today on charges of conspiring to defraud the Medicare and Georgia Medicaid programs of more than $30 million. GEORGE HOUSER is also charged with failing to pay over his employees’ payroll taxes to the IRS and failing to file personal income tax returns. “These defendants are charged with spending Medicare and Medicaid money to buy cars and real estate while their nursing home residents went without basic necessities, such as food and medicines,” said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates. “This case...

HOUSTON—Ene Etim Hogan, of Houston, has pleaded guilty to three counts of healthcare fraud for his role in an adult diaper fraud case, acting U.S. Attorney Tim Johnson and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced today. Hogan, also known as Ernest Hogan, 59, owned and operated Shanet Medical Source, a durable medical equipment (DME) company. Through his DME company, Hogan routinely billed Medicaid for adult urinary incontinence supplies he did not deliver to the Medicaid beneficiaries or for delivering supplies in amounts significantly less than the amounts billed to Medicaid. Additionally, Hogan routinely billed Medicaid for adult urinary incontinence supplies...

"Tony McDonald, a member of the University of Texas Young Conservatives, sets up a protest anti- American Civil Liberties Union nativity scene, dubbed a 'solstice barn,' on the university's campus in Austin December 4, 2006. The display features a 'Nancy Pelosi' angel, a 'suicide bomber' shepherd, and Marx, Lenin and Stalin as the Three Wise Men." "Josh Perry, a member of the University of Texas Young Conservatives, spreads hay as he sets up a protest anti-American Civil Liberties Union nativity scene, dubbed a 'solstice barn,' on the university's campus in Austin, Texas December 4, 2006. The display features a...

State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo seems to be proving the worst fears about Medicaid fraud all-too-true: For prosecutors, it's a target-rich environment. And Cuomo has just started to scratch the surface. His latest announcement came Thursday: Some 18 home-health-care workers and a patient were arrested on charges of defrauding the state through improper billing and no-show jobs. The collars are the result of the AG's broad probe of the home-health-care industry - Operation Home Alone. And such abuse accounts for what, Cuomo says, amounts to tens of millions of dollars in Medicaid fraud. This certainly sounds promising. After all, the...

For the past two years, analysts have been asking how fast-growing WellCare Health Plans of Tampa has been able to make so much money running government health plans for the poor and elderly. Now government investigators may be asking the same thing. On a rainy Wednesday morning, more than 200 federal and state agents swarmed WellCare's campus on Henderson Road in Tampa, forcing employees onto the sidewalk and into their cars. Steven Meitzen, 51, who arrived at WellCare about 9:40 a.m. for a job interview, said he was initially told it was a bomb scare. "Later on, I talked to...

<p>LANSING -- Nearly two dozen women from the Middle East are accused of defrauding Medicaid to cover the costs of having a baby in the United States, the state attorney general's office said Wednesday.</p> <p>Attorney General Mike Cox said 23 women flew to the Detroit area specifically to deliver their babies and get emergency Medicaid benefits to pay for it. Within a few months of having their children, the women returned to their native countries, Cox said.</p>

New York state has an enormous Medicaid-fraud problem, estimated at billions of dollars a year. To strengthen the state’s weak anti-fraud program, the state assembly is pushing a New York version of the federal False Claims Act; the measure would reward whistle-blowers and their attorneys for turning in Medicaid cheats. But that measure can’t be the whole answer—indeed, by itself, it could easily create as many problems as it solves. Fighting Medicaid abuse requires a whole arsenal of weapons—new technologies to sniff out fraud, tougher criminal penalties, and increased oversight of who’s allowed into the program. Because of the power...

The Terri Schindler Schiavo Daily Threads are created month to month as we watch local and national news regarding Terri and her family. Since Terri's supporters are in every time zone, you may see something FIRST. Please share news with us that you don't see here already. Now, why would you want to do that? Terri's Daily Thread for September/October of 2004 was viewed over 15,000 times. Terri's November Daily Thread was viewed over 6,000 times. December's thread is over 3,000 views. More and more good folks are finding out about Terri and that judicial tyranny would take her life,...

ASHINGTON, April 29 - The federal government is moving to recover hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicaid payments it maintains have been improperly claimed by school districts throughout New York, according to federal officials and state school administrators.The payments were all approved during the Clinton administration to help schools in New York City and elsewhere in the state cover the cost of educating children with speech disabilities, most of whom are enrolled in special education programs, these officials say.Now, though, investigators for the Department of Health and Human Services are going back through records and identifying instances in which...

Chiropractor gets 18 months Joanne M. Gallagher, 44, was sentenced to federal prison for defrauding Medicaid in connection with patient's death in 1999. By BRETT MARCY bmarcy@leader.net HARRISBURG - A Hazleton chiropractor who pleaded guilty to mail fraud last year in connection with the death of one of her patients will spend 18 months in federal prison for defrauding Medicaid, a judge ruled Monday. Joanne M. Gallagher, 44, stood stoically as U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Conner delivered her sentence, but her husband, four children and dozens of her supporters could not hold back their tears. Meanwhile, seated on the...

Dr. Athar Rana faces charges tied to child allegery tests and $89,000 in reimbursements AUSTIN - Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s Medicaid fraud investigators worked in conjunction with the FBI’s Midland office today to indict and arrest an Odessa allergist who allegedly falsified treatments on children of low-income parents, then illegally obtained reimbursements from the federal health care program. Dr. Athar Niaz Rana, 53, who operates the Odessa Asthma and Allergy Clinic at 1601 N. Grandview, was booked into the U.S. Marshall’s facility in Midland this afternoon. He is charged with health care fraud for falsely documenting specialized allergy tests...

This time last year, pro-lifers around the Atlanta area had the first "Friday before Easter Sunday" prayer vigil at a late term abortion clinic. This is Surgi Center -- which across the street from one of the TBS (Turner Broadcasting Systems) buildings at 1113 Spring Street in Atlanta. At that time, a Deputy Sheriff (who moonlighted as a security guard at the abortion clinic) would arrest Pro-Lifers for being on a public sidewalk. There were "Death-scorts" -- Escorts for those going into the abortion clinic. Supposedly some of those were involved in witchcraft. This year is the difference between day...