Miami Area Woman Pleads Guilty To Her Part In Health Care Scam
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A 27-year old Miami area woman has admitted to taking part in a health care fraud scam which tried to bilk millions out of Medicare and Medicaid.
In federal court in Miami, Sarah Da Silva Keller pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Keller admitted to participating in a fraud scheme that was orchestrated by the owner and operators of Health Care Solutions Network (HCSN).
HCSN purported to operate partial hospitalization programs (PHPs), a form of intensive mental health treatment for severe mental illness.
According to an indictment unsealed on May 2nd, HCSN paid kickbacks to owners and operators of assisted living facilities in exchange for referring Medicare beneficiaries to HCSN for PHP treatment that was unnecessary and, in many instances, not provided.
According to court documents, Keller admitted that she falsified records at the direction of others so that HCSN could bill Medicare for services which were never provided by HCSN. Keller knew that the falsification of these records was part of a plan by HCSN to commit health care fraud.
HCSN reportedly submitted more than $63 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicaid.
Nine other charged defendants, including the owner and operators of HCSN, await trial.
Keller, who will be sentenced October 17th, faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
