Guam Ambulance Company Executives Plead Guilty to Medicare and TRICARE Fraud and Money Laundering

[TexasTowelie]

Guam Ambulance Company Executives Plead Guilty to Medicare and TRICARE Fraud and Money Laundering Scheme

One of the Largest Single Medicare Ambulance Fraud Cases Prosecuted Nationwide


Two former owners and an employee of an ambulance services provider headquartered in Guam pleaded guilty yesterday for their roles in a health care fraud and money laundering scheme that resulted in a loss to the United States of approximately $10.8 million. This is one of the largest single Medicare ambulance fraud cases prosecuted nationwide.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Shawn N. Anderson of the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, Special Agent in Charge Eli S. Miranda of the FBI’s Honolulu Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Justin Campbell of IRS Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) Seattle Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Timothy DeFrancesca of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Los Angeles Regional Office made the announcement.

Clifford P. Shoemake, 63, of Guam, Casey C. Conner, 60, of Saipan, and Nicholas A. Shoemake, 31, of Guam, the former owners and an employee, respectively, of Guam Medical Transport (GMT), pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood of the District of Guam, to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to engage in monetary transactions with the proceeds of specified unlawful activity. The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 29, 2020.

Medicare and TRICARE are federal health benefit programs, which, under certain conditions, reimburse providers for medically necessary, non-emergency, scheduled ambulance transportation to and from dialysis treatments, provided to beneficiaries with end stage renal disease (ESRD). Ambulance services are medically necessary when provided to such beneficiaries who cannot be transported by any other means without endangering their health, or were bed confined before, during and after the transportation.

Read more: https://www.justice.gov/usao-gu/pr/guam-ambulance-company-executives-plead-guilty-medicare-and-tricare-fraud-and-money

Okay, I've been covering this story for awhile:

Earlier threads:
Defense awaits CMS response in Guam multimillion-dollar Medicare fraud case (April 2019)
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1286574

Motion to sever filed in Guam health care fraud case (July 2017)
https://www.democraticunderground.com/128680

Attorney needs time to review discovery in Guam healthcare fraud case (April 2017)
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10028803853

Arraignment in Guam health care fraud case Wednesday (January 2017)
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10028481126