A $30 million hospice fraud scheme has unfolded in California with the arrest of a physician and a marketer. Both were associated with two Pasadena-based providers — Saint Mariam Hospice, Inc., and Arcadia Hospice Provider, Inc. — the owner of which remains at large for their involvement.
Named in a 14-count indictment were physician Victor Contreras, M.D., 66, medical industry marketer Callie Jean Black, 63, and Juanita Antenor, who owned both hospices.
Black and Contreras were detained by California law enforcement agencies for allegedly receiving kickbacks from multiple parties in exchange for Medicare beneficiary referrals and billing for medically unnecessary hospice services. Authorities believe that Antenor is currently in the Philippines, according to the U.S. Department of Justice Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California.
“If convicted of the charges in the indictment, Contreras would face a statutory maximum sentence of 50 years in prison, while Black would face up to 40 years,” the Justice Department indicated in a statement regarding the two arrests. “A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.”
Assistant U. S. Attorney Kristen A. Williams of the Major Frauds Section is prosecuting the case. The Justice Department alleges that the defendants provided fraudulent hospice certifications for patients who were not terminally ill and eligible for this care....
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