Tiffhany Covington, Health Care Fraud, Pennsylvania 2022

Health Care Fraud Scheme Exposed in Pennsylvania: Three Defendants Sentenced for Roles in Wide-Ranging Medicaid Conspiracy

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – In a shocking turn of events, two residents of Pittsburgh and a resident of Georgia were sentenced in federal court for conspiracy to defraud the Pennsylvania Medicaid program and related offenses. United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced the sentencing on June 28 and June 29, 2022.

During sentencing hearings, United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon sentenced Tiffhany Covington, 45, of Pittsburgh, to 15 months’ imprisonment; Luis Columbie-Abrew, 36, of East Point, Georgia, to three years’ probation, including 12 months of home confinement; and Julie Wilson, 51, of Pittsburgh, to three years’ probation, including 6 months of home confinement.

Covington, Columbie-Abrew, and Wilson were also ordered to pay restitution to the Pennsylvania Medicaid program totaling $245,376.26, $164,799.48, and $2,083.36, respectively. All three defendants previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Columbie-Abrew and Wilson also pleaded guilty to health care fraud, with Columbie-Abrew pleading guilty to an additional charge of aggravated identity theft.

The defendants were employees of one or more of four related entities operating in the home health care industry—Moriarty Consultants, Inc. (MCI), Activity Daily Living Services, Inc. (ADL), Coordination Care, Inc. (CCI), and Everyday People Staffing, Inc. (EPS). MCI, ADL, and CCI were approved under the Pennsylvania Medicaid program to offer certain services to qualifying Medicaid recipients (“consumers”), including personal assistance services (PAS), service coordination, and non-medical transportation, among other services.

Between 2011 and 2017, the defendants admitted that they participated in a wide-ranging conspiracy to defraud the Pennsylvania Medicaid program for the purpose of obtaining millions of dollars in illegal Medicaid payments through the submission of fraudulent claims for services that were never provided to the consumers identified on the claims or for which there was insufficient or fabricated documentation to support the claims.

The defendants conspired with, among others, Arlinda Moriarty, the owner of MCI, ADL, and EPS; Daynelle Dickens, the owner of CCI and Arlinda Moriarty’s sister; various office workers at the companies, including Tamika Adams, Tony Brown, Terra Dean, Larita Walls, Keith Scoggins, and Tia Collins; and caregivers (“attendants”) at MCI, including Tionne Street and Autumn Brown.

To date, each of these co-conspirators have also pleaded guilty for their roles in the conspiracy.

Defendant 1: Tiffhany Covington

Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to commit health care fraud

City and State: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Exact Date: June 28 and June 29, 2022

Sentence or Outcome: 15 months’ imprisonment

Dollar Amounts: $245,376.26 in restitution

Defendant 2: Luis Columbie-Abrew

Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, aggravated identity theft

City and State: East Point, Georgia

Exact Date: June 28 and June 29, 2022

Sentence or Outcome: Three years’ probation, including 12 months of home confinement

Dollar Amounts: $164,799.48 in restitution

Defendant 3: Julie Wilson

Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud

City and State: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Exact Date: June 28 and June 29, 2022

Sentence or Outcome: Three years’ probation, including 6 months of home confinement

Dollar Amounts: $2,083.36 in restitution

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/three-more-defendants-sentenced-their-roles-wide-ranging-medicaid-fraud-conspiracy