Grace Munthali, Medicare Fraud, Texas 2015

TYLER, Texas – A massive Medicare fraud scheme has been unearthed in East Texas, resulting in the arrest of 12 individuals associated with Three Angels Home Health Inc. The indictment, returned on September 16, 2015, charges the defendants with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and payment of illegal remuneration.

According to the indictment, an investigation revealed that between August 2013 and November 2014, the defendants were involved in a scheme to defraud Medicare of approximately $2.5 million for home health services allegedly provided to about 250 East Texas Medicare patients. These patients were from Tyler, Jacksonville, Marshall, Nacogdoches, Lufkin, and other areas.

The indictment alleges that the defendants worked as recruiters for Grace Munthali and her company, Three Angels. The defendants were paid approximately $500 for each Medicare beneficiary they signed up to receive home health care services from Three Angels. To encourage the patients’ participation, the defendants offered and paid them from $100 to $200 each.

The defendants charged in the indictment include:

Lizzy Sirls, 33, of Cuney, Texas
Katrina Watts, 38, of Lufkin, Texas
Pandra Wade, 55, of Lufkin, Texas
Victoria Sterns, 40, of Lufkin, Texas
Tammy Washington, 51, of Nacogdoches, Texas
Nichelle Fofana, 51, of Nacogdoches, Texas
Yulanda Nash, 44, of Nacogdoches, Texas
Ronald Russell, 51, of San Augustine, Texas
Sheneki McCollister, 39, of Center, Texas
Meoshe Goodwin, 42, of Tenaha, Texas
Latosha Gray, 26, of Jacksonville, Texas
Marcus Chukwu, Jr., 52, of Sugarland, Texas

Earlier this year, Munthali pleaded guilty to health care fraud charges and was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison on September 22, 2015.

The case is being investigated by the U.S. Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Texas Attorney General’s Medicare Fraud Control Unit with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth McGurk and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel C. Kummerfeld are leading the case.

It is essential to note that an indictment should not be considered as evidence of guilt and that all persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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