Fraud Roundup

March 12, 2007

Immigrant scammed medicare for $1 million in Mo. Case
Bradley J. Schlozman, U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that the owner of a medical supply business was sentenced in federal court for his role in a scheme to defraud Medicare of millions of dollars through a program that provides motorized wheelchairs to patients.

Kennedy Igbokwe, 29, a citizen of Nigeria, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to five years and three months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Igbokwe to pay $750,000 in restitution and to forfeit to the government $500,000 and all the funds in a bank account. Schlozman noted that the sentence is the harshest penalty provided under the federal sentencing guidelines.

“After being welcomed as a guest in this country, the defendant plundered the Medicare program in an outrageously bold and rapacious health care fraud scheme,” Schlozman said. “Every dollar he stole from the Medicare program is a dollar deprived from elderly Americans who depend on Medicare for their health care needs.”

Source: Coalition Against Insurance Fraud

Wis. convicted arsonist found guilty of murder
A Wisconsin jury found a man guilty of murdering a Wausau woman during one of a series of arsons for which he already is serving a 38-year prison sentence.

Kevin Zarm, 41, faces a mandatory life term after being convicted of first-degree intentional homicide, burglary and theft.

Sylvia Grade, 84, was killed outside the detached garage of her home in the early morning hours of Sept. 11, 2003.

Prosecutors said Zarm killed Grade after she caught him stealing from the garage.

An autopsy showed she died of blunt force trauma to the head.

Last May, Zarm was convicted on 26 counts of arson, burglary, theft and reckless endangerment involving more than 20 arson fires in the area during a four-month span in 2003.

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Massage business owner pleads guilty in insurance scheme
A Glendale, Calif., skin care and massage business owner has plead guilty after California Department of Insurance (CDI) investigators found she was filing claims for acne and chiropractic treatments when her clients were getting facials and massages.

Robyn Alexandre, 31, pleaded guilty to one count of insurance fraud and one count of false tax returns as part of a plea agreement with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Alexandre will serve 52 non-consecutive weekends in county jail or in a private facility and pay $257,171 to the Franchise Tax Board. Alexandre was also ordered to pay $454,000 in restitution to Blue Cross, Aetna, Blue Shield, and Health Net on a percentage of their losses.

Source: CDI

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