HEALTH CARE FRAUD RING CRUMBLES IN BATON ROUGE
Baton Rouge residents Kevan Andre Hills, 32, Devin Tyrone Stampley, Jr., 33, and Asia Deshan Guess, 28, have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a scheme to obtain controlled substances and federal pandemic assistance funds using fraudulent prescriptions and applications.
According to court documents, Hills, Stampley, and Guess caused the submission of fraudulent prescriptions for controlled substances, such as Promethazine with Codeine and Hydrocodone, to Medicaid, resulting in Medicaid being fraudulently billed for filling those prescriptions. They used the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration numbers and other identifying information of several physicians and other medical providers, without authority, on the fraudulent prescriptions. Stampley also burglarized a pharmacy in Louisiana as part of the scheme.
Hills, Stampley, and their co-conspirators submitted numerous false and fraudulent applications for federal funds, seeking at least $293,498 in funds administered by the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program, and Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act unemployment benefits. They submitted falsified bank statements, tax forms, and other documents in support of the fraudulent PPP applications.
Hills and Stampley defrauded the federal pandemic assistance programs of at least $87,663 by posing as fake small business owners and residents in need of assistance. Guess, on the other hand, illegally sought at least $125,978 in federal funds, including federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits under the CARES Act for eligible workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Guess fraudulently obtained at least $15,859 in unemployment insurance benefits from the Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC) and Maine Department of Labor (Maine DOL).
U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson sentenced Hills to 96 months in federal prison, Stampley to 104 months in federal prison, and Guess to 24 months in federal prison. This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kristen L. Craig and Trial Attorneys Gary A. Crosby II and Samantha E. Usher of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana commended the hard work of the investigators and prosecutors in this case, noting that the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program has charged over 5,800 defendants who have collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers over $30 billion since its inception in March 2007.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. The public is encouraged to report any suspected health care fraud to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General’s Hotline at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477).
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Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Drug Trafficking|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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