The owners, the director of nursing of patient recruiters of a home-health agency based in Houston were arrested this morning for their alleged roles in conspiracies to defraud Medicare, to pay illegal healthcare kickbacks and to commit money laundering.  The defendants were charged in an indictment unsealed on November 10, 2015.

According to the indictment, Ebong Tilong, 51, and Marie Neba, 51, both of Sugar Land, Texas, used the Texas-based, home-health agency that they owned to bill Medicare for home-health services that were not provided or not medically necessary.  They allegedly orchestrated this scheme by paying kickbacks to a series of individuals.

Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged more than 2,300 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $7 billion.  In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, is taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

Read more at eNewsPF.com