Rodney L. Yentzer, Health Care Fraud, Money Laundering, and Theft of Public Money, Pennsylvania 2020

Harrisburg, PA - A Cumberland County man has been charged with defrauding Medicare and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services out of millions of dollars.

Rodney L. Yentzer, age 52, was charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and theft of public money in a criminal information filed in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

According to the information, Yentzer agreed with others to defraud Medicare by submitting bills for medically unnecessary urine drug tests for chronic opioid patients at medical clinics he controlled, including Pain Medicine of York or 'PMY' (also known as All Better Wellness).

Between 2016 and 2020, PMY billed Medicare for more than $10 million in urine drug tests, resulting in over $4 million in payments from Medicare. Pennsylvania's Medicaid program was also billed for urine drug tests during this time period.

The information alleges that Yentzer received over $191,000 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services stimulus money intended for health care providers who had health care-related expenses and lost revenues attributable to COVID-19.

Yentzer obtained these funds in April 2020, even though he had resigned from PMY the prior month and PMY had been closed since late 2019. He allegedly used these funds on various things unrelated to COVID-19 relief, including personal expenses.

The maximum penalty under federal law for conspiracy to commit health care fraud is 10 years' imprisonment, while the maximum penalty for conspiracy to commit money laundering is 20 years' imprisonment. The maximum penalty for theft of public money is also 10 years' imprisonment. These charges may also carry a fine and a term of supervised release following imprisonment.

Yentzer's case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ravi Romel Sharma and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Smultkis are prosecuting the case.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdpa/pr/cumberland-county-man-charged-health-care-fraud-money-laundering-and-theft-public-money