U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett announced criminal charges against six defendants in connection with schemes to defraud healthcare benefit programs and misuse of controlled substances.
The charges filed in federal court are part of the Justice Department’s 2024 National Healthcare Fraud Enforcement Action. The charges stem from three unlawful billing schemes, one opioid theft scheme, and a doctor who allowed his staff to issue Schedule II controlled substance prescriptions in his absence.
“The charges are part of a strategically coordinated, two-week nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 193 defendants for their alleged participation in healthcare fraud and opioid abuse schemes that resulted in the submission of over $2.75 billion in alleged false billings,” prosecutors said.
The defendants allegedly defrauded programs entrusted to the care of the elderly and disabled to line their own pockets. The government, in the enforcement action, seized over $231 million in cash, luxury vehicles, gold, and other assets.
The following individuals have been charged in the Western District of Kentucky:
- Carissa Uptegraff, 44, of Glasgow, was charged by indictment with theft of medical products — According to the indictment, Uptegraff, a pharmacy employee, stole a pre-retail medical product, oxycodone, which had a value over $5,000. The alleged thefts took place at two different pharmacies prior to the controlled substances being made available for retail purchase by a consumer.
- Michael Boaz, 45, and Christopher Augustus, 40, of Clinton (Hickman Co.), were charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, healthcare fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with an alleged scheme to fraudulently obtain over $1 million from healthcare benefit programs — According to the indictment, Boaz and Augustus falsely and fraudulently billed various healthcare benefit programs for medications dispensed from the Clinton and Bardwell Pharmacies by using material misrepresentations, material omissions, and deception in order to obtain authorization for the medications from physicians and nurse practitioners. In addition, the indictment alleges that Boaz and Augustus knowingly possessed, transferred, or used the means of identification two individuals, a nurse practitioner, and a physician, including the individuals’ names and unique national provider identifier numbers, without lawful authority, in relation to the healthcare fraud.
- Shafi Abbas, 57, of Pendleton (Henry Co.), was charged by information with conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and money laundering in connection with an alleged scheme to fraudulently obtain over $2.6 million in Medicare funds — According to the information, Abbas, through Aidmen Medical Equipment LLC and Justright Medical Equipment LLC, fraudulently billed Medicare for durable medical equipment, which was medically unnecessary, unwanted by patients, and not prescribed by the patients’ medical providers. Based on those false and fraudulent claims, Medicare paid approximately $1.3 million. In addition, Abbas allegedly transferred offshore the proceeds of healthcare fraud in a value greater than $10,000.
- Lawrence Peters, 62, of Louisville, was charged by information with conspiracy to illegally use a DEA registration number issued to another — According to the information, Peters allegedly conspired with others in his medical practice to issue pre-signed and unsigned prescriptions for Schedule II controlled substances and further directed his staff to fill the prescriptions at his physician’s owned pharmacy.
- Tammy Daniels a/k/a Tammy Richardson, 55, of Louisville, was charged by indictment with wire fraud and healthcare fraud in connection with an alleged scheme to fraudulently obtain over $750,000 from her employer, a medical practice, and over $422,000 in Medicare funds — According to the indictment, Daniels was employed as the accounts manager for a medical practice when she used the medical practice’s credit cards to purchase personal items, transferred money from the practice’s bank account to pay the credit card invoices, transferred money from the practice’s bank account to pay for other personal credit card purchases, and used her access and position to bill for false and fraudulent medical procedures to pay credit card invoices in order to hide the unlawful use of the credit cards. As a result of the fraudulent scheme, healthcare benefit programs, including Medicare, paid over $79,000.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
