MIAMI, Fla. — A federal jury in the Southern District of Florida has found a Florida woman guilty of paying kickbacks to get Medicare patients referred to her.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Nelly Anderson, 58, of Bay Harbor Islands, was the owner of Dial 4 Care, a business that offered home health services to Medicare recipients. She reportedly hired a number of marketers and gave them kickbacks in return for referring patients.
Evidence revealed that Anderson then made sure that claims were sent to Medicare for home healthcare services that were procured through the payment of illegal kickbacks.
The jury found Anderson guilty of conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay health care kickbacks and two counts of paying kickbacks in connection with a federal health care program.
She will be sentenced on December 5 and could get up to five years in jail for the conspiracy charge and 10 years for each kickback charge.
A federal district court judge will use the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other legal factors to decide on a punishment.
The announcement was made by Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Omar Pérez Aybar of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Miami Regional Office.
The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Jessica Massey and Charles Strauss of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marx Calderon for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture aspects of the case. Trial Attorney Patrick J. Queenan of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section assisted with the investigation.
