Francine Kendzia, Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud, New York 2017
Niagara Falls Woman Pleads Guilty To Conspiring To Defraud Health Insurance Company
A federal judge in Buffalo, New York, accepted the guilty plea of Francine Kendzia, 43, of Niagara Falls, New York, to conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
According to the U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr., the defendant, while employed at MacLeod's Pharmacy, conspired with others to defraud a health insurance company by submitting fraudulent prescription claims between January 2015 and November 2017.
The scheme involved submitting reimbursement claims for prescriptions the conspirators fraudulently claimed were called in by a medical provider and which were never filled. As a result, the insurance company paid MacLeod's Pharmacy $39,703.12 for the fake prescriptions.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Scott Lampert; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia; and the New York State Education Department, Office of Professional Discipline, under the direction of Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa.
Francine Kendzia faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the crime of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 13, 2021, before Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.
Contact Barbara Burns at (716) 843-5817 or (716) 551-3051 for more information.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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