Parke Levy, Medicare Fraud, New York 2011

Brooklyn-area medical equipment company owner Parke Levy, 48, along with his mother Lorraine Levy, 79, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. The crime occurred in Brooklyn, New York in 2011, with sentencing set for May 17, 2011.

Levy, the owner of Americare, and his mother admitted to billing Medicare for equipment and supplies that were never actually provided to Medicare beneficiaries. The scheme involved soliciting Medicare beneficiaries for diabetic supplies, including "free" shoes and inserts every year, even if the supplies were not medically necessary.

According to the indictment, Parke Levy and others met with Medicare beneficiaries to measure their feet using a measuring stick or ruler, and then submitted or caused to be submitted false Medicare claims for three pairs of custom molded inserts per patient, when in fact only off-the-shelf inserts were provided to beneficiaries.

The guilty pleas were announced by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch of the Eastern District of New York, and Thomas ODonnell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) New York office.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Katherine Houston of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, and investigated by the FBI; HHS-OIG; Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General; and the New York State Office of the Medicaid Inspector General.

This case was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. Since their inception in March 2007, Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations in seven districts have obtained indictments of more than 850 individuals who collectively have falsely billed the Medicare program for more than $2.1 billion.

Defendant: Parke Levy, Lorraine Levy
Criminal Charges: One count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud
City and State: Brooklyn, New York
Exact Date: May 17, 2011 (sentencing)
Sentence: Pending Sentencing

Source: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/brooklyn-area-medical-equipment-company-owners-and-operators-plead-guilty-fraud-scheme