Sedric C. Blakes, Healthcare Fraud, Louisiana 2008

BATON ROUGE, LA - In a shocking turn of events, a federal grand jury has returned a 25-count indictment against Sedric C. Blakes, a 42-year-old man from Zachary, Louisiana, alleging conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and wire fraud.

According to the indictment, Blakes conspired with others to commit healthcare fraud and wire fraud between January 2008 and March 2013, while employed as the Chief Operating Officer of Extraordinary Care Network, Inc. (Extraordinary Care). The indictment states that Extraordinary Care was a Baton Rouge-area Medicaid attendant care service provider, which purportedly provided direct support and assistance to the mentally impaired and financially needy.

The indictment alleges that Blakes and his co-conspirators submitted fraudulent claims to Medicaid, claiming to have provided attendant care services, when in fact they provided no such services. To support the fake claims, Blakes falsified and/or directed a co-conspirator to falsify recipients' records to make it appear as though Blakes, his co-conspirators, or other unwitting Extraordinary Care employees had provided care to particular recipients.

During the alleged scheme, Extraordinary Care submitted approximately $16,428,814 in claims to Medicaid and was paid approximately $14,796,631. The investigation revealed that Blakes fabricated and signed fictitious records indicating he had provided attendant care services to recipients in their homes, while Blakes was out of town, gambling at a casino, or elsewhere.

The ongoing matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Louisiana State Attorney General's Office (MFCU), and is being brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the United States Attorney's Office and the Fraud Section of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Louisiana.

The indictment charges Blakes with 25 counts of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349, as well as multiple counts of healthcare fraud and wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1347 and 1343. A forfeiture allegation requires Blakes to forfeit the proceeds of his fraud if convicted. An indictment is an accusation by the Grand Jury, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless adjudicated guilty at trial or through a guilty plea.

According to the indictment, the scheme occurred from approximately January 2008 and continuing through March 2013, while Blakes was employed as the Chief Operating Officer of Extraordinary Care Network, Inc. The indictment states that Extraordinary Care was a Baton Rouge-area Medicaid attendant care service provider.

Defendant/Respondent: Sedric C. Blakes, Exact Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and wire fraud, City and State: Zachary, Louisiana, Exact Date: January 2008 - March 2013, Sentence or Outcome: Ongoing, Dollar Amounts: $16,428,814 in claims submitted to Medicaid and $14,796,631 paid to Extraordinary Care.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdla/pr/zachary-man-indicted-conspiracy-commit-health-care-fraud-and-wire-fraud