Efforts by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (“MFCU”) of the Office of the Attorney General of Texas (“OAG”) have led to a home health company owner being sentenced to prison for 57 months.
Akintunde Oyewale, a home health company owner from Richmond, TX, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Oyewale was also ordered to pay $1,467,719 in restitution. Oyewale operated Grace Healthcare Services LLC and paid medical clinics kickbacks in exchange for generating false home health certifications and patient referrals. Oyewale then billed government health care programs for home health services that were medically unnecessary and not actually provided to patients.
Health care fraud schemes undermine the integrity of our healthcare system and result in a misuse of taxpayer funds. The OAG’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit brings individuals such as Oyewale, who exploit public health services and financial systems for personal gain, to justice.
The investigation was conducted by Sergeant Joyce Combest, Investigative Auditor Shen Wang, and Captain Rick McCollum of the OAG’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, in cooperation with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General and the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Abdul Farukhi, who also serves as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Latham.
The OAG’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigates and prosecutes providers who intentionally defraud the state’s Medicaid program through fraudulent billing practices. In the last fiscal year alone, the MFCU recovered more than $236,000,000 in settlements and judgments for Texas taxpayers. In Texas, Medicaid costs taxpayers over $40 billion. Federal and industry authorities estimate that fraud comprises up to 10% of the costs of the Medicaid program, making Medicaid fraud a $4 billion problem in Texas.
The MFCU receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $20,944,200 for fiscal year (FY) 2023. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $6,981,395, is funded by the State of Texas. For every dollar of state funding, the OAG’s MFCU recovers more than 33 dollars for taxpayers. If you suspect Medicaid fraud or abuse, or patient neglect, please report it by visiting the OAG’s website.
Original source can be found here.
