Mississippi woman will spend nearly 5 years in federal prison after she admitted submitting bills for medical equipment never given to patients – Magnolia State Live

A Mississippi lady was sentenced to 57 months in jail for defrauding well being care insurance coverage suppliers.

Pleasure Beth Harden, 51, of Columbia pleaded responsible on Aug. 10, 2021, to executing a scheme to defraud Medicare and different well being care profit applications.

Particularly, Harden submitted fraudulent payments for sturdy medical tools on behalf of her enterprise, BZB LLC doing enterprise as Duracare House Medical Gear within the Hattiesburg space.  In consequence, Medicare and different advantages applications paid Harden for sturdy medical tools that was by no means prescribed for sufferers and for medical tools that was by no means delivered to the sufferers.

United States District Decide Taylor B. McNeel sentenced Harden on April 15, 2022, to serve a time period of 57 months in federal jail, adopted by a time period of three years of supervised launch.  Harden was additionally ordered to pay full restitution to the entire well being care insurers she defrauded.

The announcement was made by United States Legal professional Darren J. LaMarca, Particular Agent in Cost Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mississippi, Particular Agent in Cost Tamala Miles of the U.S. Division of Well being & Human Providers, Workplace of Inspector Basic (HHS OIG) Atlanta Regional Workplace, Particular Agent in Cost Cynthia A. Bruce of the DoD OIG, Protection Legal Investigative Service (DCIS) Southeast Area Workplace, and Inspector Basic Martin J. Dickman of the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board, Workplace of Inspector Basic (RRB OIG).

“Submitting claims for unsubstantiated providers threaten the integrity of the Medicare program and will increase the monetary burden on taxpayers,” said Tamala Miles, Particular Agent in Cost with the Division of Well being and Human Providers Workplace of Inspector Basic (HHS-OIG). “Working intently with our companions, HHS-OIG will proceed to safeguard the integrity of federal well being care applications by investigating people who search to take advantage of them.”

“Well being care fraud threatens probably the most susceptible of our residents by endangering the applications which give look after them,” said Jermicha Fomby, Particular Agent in Cost of the FBI in Mississippi. “It’s crucial we proactively root out such acts as this fraud which erode the material of our healthcare system upon which our residents rely.  I need to commend the investigators and prosecutors who labored collectively on this case. We sit up for continued partnerships akin to this among the many regulation enforcement group in Mississippi.”

“There are not any victimless crimes.  Stealing cash from the Protection Well being Company (DHA) and Medicare is stealing cash from all taxpayers,” said Particular Agent in Cost Cyndy Bruce, Workplace of the Inspector Basic (DoD-OIG), Protection Legal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Area Workplace.  “DCIS and our investigative companions will proceed to come back after those that search to illegally enrich themselves and maintain them accountable for his or her actions.”

“The U.S. Railroad Retirement Board, Workplace of Inspector Basic (RRB-OIG) is dedicated to preventing Medicare fraud, waste, and abuse and is proud to be a part of this collaborative effort with the FBI, HHS-OIG, and DoD-OIG,” mentioned Inspector Basic Martin J. Dickman. “The sentencing of Pleasure Beth Harden sends a loud and clear message that combating Medicare fraud is a high federal regulation enforcement precedence and unscrupulous Medicare suppliers won’t be tolerated.”

This case was investigated by the HHS-OIG, FBI, DCIS, and RRB-OIG. The case was prosecuted by Deputy Legal Chief Dave Fulcher.