LOS ANGELES – Tamara Yvonne Motley, 49, of Redondo Beach, was arrested yesterday along with two former employees, Cynthia Karina Marquez, 42, of Paramount, and Juan Roberto Murillo, 41, of Montebello, for allegedly running a $24 million scam involving power wheelchairs and repairs in Hawthorne and Ventura.
According to the 29-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury on December 14, Motley and her associates allegedly orchestrated a scheme in which corrupt physicians prescribed medically unnecessary durable medical equipment, such as power wheelchairs, and then billed Medicare for repairs or replacements that were not medically necessary.
The indictment alleges that Action Medical Equipment and Supplies, which was based in Hawthorne until 2014, and Kaja Medical Equipment & Supply, which was based in Ventura until late 2016, submitted $24 million in claims to Medicare, with the majority of bills allegedly involving fraudulent repair work.
The indictment charges Motley and her co-defendants with 20 counts of healthcare fraud, one count of conspiring to launder money, and additional charges of aggravated identity theft and structuring cash transactions.
If convicted, each of the three defendants could face decades in federal prison, with each count of healthcare fraud carrying a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
Motley and Murillo were arraigned yesterday in federal court and entered not guilty pleas to the charges. A trial is scheduled for February 13, and Motley and Murillo were released on bond, while Marquez was ordered detained.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Julian L. André of the Major Frauds Section. The investigation was conducted by the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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