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Kickback Scheme Unraveled: Two Charged in Detroit-Area Medicare Scam
Two Detroit-area residents, Sophia Eggleston, 52, of Farmington Hills, Michigan, and Sekne Ali, 48, of Dearborn, Michigan, have been charged in a four-count indictment related to a Medicare fraud scheme that bilked millions from the program.
According to the indictment, Eggleston and Ali recruited Medicare beneficiaries to two home health agencies in Oakland County, Michigan – Prestige Home Health Services Inc. and Royal Home Health Care Inc. – and were paid kickbacks for the patient referrals. Both agencies purported to provide in-home health care services to Medicare beneficiaries.
The charges contained in an indictment are merely accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the FBI, HHS-OIG, and IRS-CI and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Niall M. O’Donnell and James P. McDonald of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged nearly 2,000 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $6 billion.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade of the Eastern District of Michigan, Special Agent in Charge Paul M. Abbate of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Lamont Pugh III of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Chicago Regional Office, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jarod Koopman, of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Detroit Field Office, made the announcement.
To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), go to: www.stopmedicarefraud.gov
The indictment alleges that Eggleston and Ali were involved in a conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute and substantive violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute.
Key Facts
- State: Michigan
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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