WASHINGTON – In a shocking turn of events, Simone Ball, a 24-year-old owner of a Houston health care company, pleaded guilty to a $654,227 Medicare fraud scheme.
Ball, who owns and operates Preferred Plus Medical Supply, admitted to defrauding Medicare by submitting claims for medically unnecessary and/or not provided durable medical equipment (DME) and orthotics to Medicare beneficiaries. The arthritis kits containing braces and related accessories were neither medically necessary nor appropriate for the treatment of arthritis-related conditions.
According to court documents, Preferred Plus submitted approximately $654,227 in fraudulent claims to Medicare from August through December 2008. Ball faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison at sentencing, scheduled for Oct. 12, 2011.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Laura M.K. Cordova and Benjamin O’Neil, and Deputy Chief Charles La Bella of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. The case was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas and the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
Since their inception in March 2007, Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations in nine districts have obtained indictments of more than 1,000 individuals who collectively have falsely billed the Medicare program for more than $2.3 billion. In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
Simone Ball, a resident of Houston, Texas, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal in Houston to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. The guilty plea was announced by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney José Angel Moreno of the Southern District of Texas; the Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott; Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Russell D. Robinson of the FBI’s Houston Field Office; and Special Agent-in-Charge Mike Fields of the Dallas Regional Office of HHS Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Office of Investigations.
This case marks another victory in the ongoing fight against Medicare fraud. The Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT) has been working tirelessly to root out fraud and protect the Medicare program. For more information on HEAT, visit www.stopmedicarefraud.gov.
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Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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