Florida Man Convicted for Defrauding Medicare Through California-based Company
TL/DR –
Simon Katz, a man from Boca Raton, and his wife Veronica Katz, both former CEOs of HealthNow Home Healthcare in Hayward, California, have been found guilty of Medicare fraud and falsifying medical records. The scheme, which ran from 2018 to 2020, saw Simon profit $300,000 personally, while the company submitted fraudulent claims worth over $3 million. The couple were found to have used unqualified professionals, billed for non-existent services, falsified documents to deceive inspectors, and encouraged employees to lie to federal officials.
Boca Raton Man Convicted for Defrauding Medicare in California
A Florida resident, Simon Katz, has been found guilty of providing fraudulent claims to Medicare and forging medical documents through his California-based home healthcare company. The fraudulent scheme ran from 2018 to 2020, during which Katz and his firm, HealthNow Home Healthcare, received over $3 million in filed claims, while Katz personally profited by $300,000, according to a news release from the United States Attorney’s Office Northern District of California.
The Fraudulent Scheme
The couple conspired to defraud Medicare by employing unqualified professionals to look after home health patients, billing Medicare for services not delivered, falsifying documents for Medicare billing authorization, and directing ex-employees to mislead federal officials to conceal the fraud. Katz also tried to obstruct the investigation by urging an employee to lie about their professional training and supervision. United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian highlighted how the couple’s actions resulted in taxpayer funds being illegally appropriated.
The Aftermath of the Case
Katz is the fourth defendant convicted in this investigation, and he is currently in federal custody. The previous convictions include Veronica Katz, who was found guilty of health care fraud and sentenced to prison, and Vennesa Herrera and Pharadja Andrews, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Simon Katz is now staring at the possibility of a 20-year federal prison sentence and a $250,000 fine. The sentencing date is yet to be decided.
The source of the information in this report comes from the United States Attorney’s Office Northern District of California.
Tags: Florida News, Crime and Public Safety, Instastories
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