Maurice L. Burks, Healthcare Fraud, Illinois 2015

East Saint Louis man Maurice L. Burks, 44, has been sentenced for his role in a scheme to commit healthcare fraud. On February 20, 2015, the district court handed down a six-month prison sentence and ordered Burks to pay $1,016.82 in restitution as well as a $100 special assessment.

Burks, who was the personal assistant for his brother, engaged in a scheme to bill for hours of care when he was at work or while his brother was hospitalized. Rather than using the funds to provide personal assistants for needy individuals, Burks pocketed the payments for his own financial gain.

According to the investigation, programs like the one implemented in Illinois that allow Medicaid recipients to control the selection and payment of personal care attendants are especially vulnerable to fraud. In most cases, the personal care assistant is a relative or family friend, who often is a ghost employee.

In a typical fraud scenario, the payments made by the State of Illinois are split between the Medicaid recipient and the ghost employee. Burks’ scheme falls under this category, as he billed for hours of care when he was not actually providing care.

The investigation into Burks’ scheme was conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Illinois State Police – Medicaid Fraud Control Bureau. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hallock prosecuted the case.

Those who suspect or know of an individual or company not complying with healthcare laws or public aid programs are encouraged to report this activity to the local office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General or call 800.447.8477.

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