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Ashley Hoobler Parris, Health Care Fraud, Florida 2024
A 32-year-old Georgia woman was arrested in Tampa, Florida, for her alleged role in a conspiracy to defraud Medicare, a federally funded health care benefit program, by submitting false and fraudulent claims for cancer genetic (CGX) testing, as well as her role in conspiring to submit fraudulent claims related to COVID-19 and other tests.
Ashley Hoobler Parris, also known as Ashley Hoobler and Ashley Parris, was arrested this morning and is scheduled to have her initial court appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Justin S. Anand of the Northern District of Georgia.
According to Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski, Parris allegedly sought to pay and receive illegal kickbacks in exchange for referring Medicare beneficiaries for expensive genetic screening tests and COVID-19 tests. ‘The department will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect the public from those who defraud our government health care programs, especially those who exploit the COVID-19 pandemic for personal gain.’
Parris allegedly solicited and received illegal kickback payments from the owners and operators of a diagnostic testing laboratory in exchange for referring Medicare beneficiaries to this laboratory. The complaint further alleges that the owners and operators of the laboratory then submitted claims to Medicare for cancer genetic testing for the beneficiaries referred by Parris that were not eligible for reimbursement. The laboratory paid Parris a percentage of the paid claims as kickbacks.
The scheme related to Parris’ receipt of kickbacks for submitting CGX tests to diagnostic testing facilities. CGX testing is a type of test that uses DNA sequencing to detect mutations in genes that could indicate a higher risk of developing certain types of cancers in the future. CGX testing is not a method of diagnosing whether an individual presently has cancer.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and their law enforcement partners remain focused on investigating and prosecuting individuals seeking to defraud federal government programs for personal profit, especially during this pandemic. ‘Let this arrest be a warning that our agents remain vigilant in our fight against healthcare fraud and improper billing of federal healthcare programs.’
Parris’ arrest is a result of a complaint alleging that she and her co-conspirators would obtain Medicare patient information and swabs by having Medicare beneficiaries complete genetic test kits, without regard to their medical necessity. Parris and her co-conspirators would obtain doctors’ orders for CGX testing for those beneficiaries by paying illegal kickbacks to co-conspirators at telemedicine companies.
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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