Michigan Home Health Agency Owner Pleads Guilty to Charges for Role in Medicare Kickback Scheme

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2018-05-23

The owner of a Michigan home health agency, on May 22, pleaded guilty to charges for his role in a scheme involving Medicare claims for home health services that were procured through the payment of illegal kickbacks.

Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Schneider of the Eastern District of Michigan, Special Agent in Charge David P. Gelios of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Lamont Pugh III of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Chicago Regional Office made the announcement.

Atheir Amarrah, 43, of West Bloomfield, Michigan, the owner of Prompt Care Home Health Services Inc. of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to pay and receive health care kickbacks in connection with Medicare beneficiaries and to four substantive counts of paying health care kickbacks before U.S. District Judge Judith E. Levy of the Eastern District of Michigan. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 25, before Judge Levy.

As part of his guilty plea, Amarrah admitted that he paid illegal kickbacks to recruiters in exchange for Medicare beneficiary referrals and billed Medicare for claims procured through these illegal kickbacks. The scheme is alleged to have resulted a loss of up to $1.8 million to the Medicare program by submitting claims to Medicare from 2013 through 2017 related to Medicare beneficiary information that he obtained by paying illegal kickbacks. The loss amount will be determined by the court at sentencing.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice

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