Law Enforcement – Page 20 – Law Enforcement, Military, and Terrorism News

Five Sentenced in South Florida to Prison Terms for Their Roles in Tricare and Medicare Fraud Scheme

U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga has sentenced five defendants, including a doctor, to federal prison terms for their roles in a scheme that defrauded Tricare and Medicare out of more than $9.6 million. The defendants tricked beneficiaries into having the federal health care programs pay for medically unnecessary compounded prescription medicines and cancer genetic tests. Their sentences are as follows:

Dr. Mangala Ramamurthy, 64, of Texas was sentenced to 34 months for her role in the scheme: prescribing compounded pain creams and referring Genetic Cancer tests that were medically unnecessary. Dr. Ramamurthy earlier pled guilty to conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and conspiracy to receive healthcare kickbacks.
John Scholtes, 56 of Boca Raton, Florida, was sentenced to 97 months for his role in the scheme. Scholtes earlier pled guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, conspiracy to defraud the U.S., and conspiracy to receive healthcare kickbacks.
Anthony Mauzy, 43, of California, was sentenced to 49 months for his role in the scheme. Mauzy earlier pled guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud.
Thomas Sahs, 41, of California, was sentenced to 45 months for his role in the scheme. Sahs earlier pled guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud.
Rajesh Mahbubani, 46, of Texas, was sentenced to 49 months for his role in the scheme. Mahbubani earlier pled guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud.

On January 31, 2020, a sixth co-conspirator, Senthil Kumar Ramamurthy, 38, of Texas, was sentenced to 121 months in federal prison for his role in the scheme. S.K. Ramamurthy earlier pled guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, conspiracy to defraud the US, and conspiracy to receive healthcare kickbacks. S.K. Ramamurthy is the son of Dr. Ramamurthy.

Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Cynthia Bruce, Special Agent in Charge, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office, and SAC Omar Pérez Aybar, Special Agent in Charge for Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.

Tricare is the health care program for the U.S. military that pays the health care costs of active and retired military personnel and their families, including the costs of medically necessary prescription medications. Medicare is a federally-funded program that provides free or below-cost health care benefits to certain individuals, primarily the blind, elderly, and disabled.

According to court records, the co-conspirators targeted Tricare for about 10 months, starting in 2014. After making their way onto U.S. military bases, co-conspirators convinced Tricare beneficiaries to sign-up for compounded prescription medications that the beneficiaries did not need. To encourage sign-up, co-conspirators falsely told the beneficiaries that the pharmacies would custom-design their medications or that the medications were free. In fact, the medications were not custom-designed and the patients had co-payments. Compounding pharmacies paid the co-conspirators millions of dollars in kickbacks in exchange for sending the pharmacies expensive prescription orders.

In mid-2015, Tricare scaled back its reimbursements for compounded medications. The defendants turned to Medicare. They paid doctors to refer Medicare beneficiaries to a lab in Georgia for cancer genetic screening testing, even though the doctors had never examined the beneficiaries. As with the compounded medications, the cancer genetic screening tests were not medically necessary.

The owner of the Georgia lab, Minal Patel, 40, was indicted in the Southern District of Florida in September 2019. An indictment is an accusation and a defendant is innocent until proven guilty.

To date, fraudulent compounding pharmacy schemes have caused estimated losses to Tricare in excess of $2 billion. Fraudulent genetic testing lab schemes have caused estimated losses to Medicare of approximately $2.1 billion.

U.S. Attorney Fajardo-Orshan commended the investigative efforts of DCIS and HHS-OIG. Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Larsen, Anna Maria Martinez, and John C. Shipley prosecuted the case. Assistant United States Attorney Daren Grove is handling the asset forfeiture matters.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

Justice.gov (February, 2020) Five Defendants Sentenced in South Florida to Prison Terms for Their Roles in Tricare and Medicare Fraud Scheme

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Niger: Police rescue 232 victims of human trafficking

Police in Niger have rescued 232 victims of human trafficking, including 46 under the age of 18, during an INTERPOL-supported operation targeting organized crime groups in West Africa.

46 minors have been saved from forced begging and sexual exploitation

Police in Niger have rescued 232 victims of human trafficking, including 46 under the age of 18, during an INTERPOL-supported operation targeting organized crime groups in West Africa.

Operation Sarraounia, which means queen or female chief in the Hausa language, mobilized more than 100 officers from the Nigerien National Police to various hotspots in Niamey, leading to the arrest of 18 individuals on charges of human trafficking and crimes against children.

As part of the pre-operational phase, officers from INTERPOL’s Vulnerable Communities unit provided training on how to conduct victim interviews in cases of human trafficking and child sexual exploitation.

During the operation (21-31 January), the INTERPOL team on the ground helped national authorities make best use of INTERPOL’s policing capabilities, such as its databases and system of international Notices.

Of the 46 young people rescued, 37 girls aged between 10 and 17 had been forced into sexual exploitation out of hostels or the makeshift camps on the outskirts of Niamey. Other children had been taken from their families and forced to beg at markets and bus stations.

The young victims were safeguarded and received immediate medical attention, revealing a number of serious physical conditions, including advanced human papillomavirus infections.

“Whether it’s children, men or women, traffickers show little regard for the health and well-being of victims, they are simply a commodity to make money,” said Jürgen Stock, INTERPOL Secretary General.

“As vital as it is to track and arrest those behind these crimes, we also need to ensure that those rescued are protected and respected throughout the police process,” he concluded.

All of the victims were provided assistance and returned to their families, with follow-up to be carried out by social services and NGOs.

As a result of the operation, Nigerien authorities requested six INTERPOL Green Notices warning of the danger posed by the individuals who recruited and sexually exploited the young girls.

Following an investigative lead, police officers from the Special Investigations Division of the Directorate of Territorial Surveillance conducted a raid on a house in the centre of Niamey. There, they found 115 men whose travel documents had been confiscated by traffickers. Victim interviews revealed that after a bus trip from Ghana, they were met by individuals who led them to the compound and refused to let them out.

Two days later, 65 more men arrived.

All of the men had been recruited online from Ghana and promised ‘decent work’. However, their travel fees and all costs relating to their recruitment, including commissions, would be deducted from future wages.

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Three INTERPOL Blue Notices seeking more information on the arrested traffickers have been published as part of the ongoing investigation.

Speaking about the operation, Barka Dankassoua, Commissaire de police and Head of NCB Niger said “Operation Sarraounia has shed much light on several criminal groups and trafficking routes. The skills our officers have learned will be put to good use as we follow up on a number of leads.”

Operation Sarraounia was carried out thanks to support from the Human Dignity Foundation, the INTERPOL Foundation for a Safer World and Project Flyway.

Interpol.int (February, 2020) Niger: Police rescue 232 victims of human trafficking

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(Update) 168 Dogs Rescued In Georgia Pursuant To Federal Search Warrants

Eleven federal search warrants were executed Wednesday morning related to suspected violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and drug trafficking, resulting in the rescue of 156 canines, announced Charles “Charlie” Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.

Eleven federal search warrants were executed Wednesday morning related to suspected violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and drug trafficking, resulting in the rescue of 168 canines, announced Charles “Charlie” Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.

The United States Department of Agriculture, Office of the Inspector General (USDA-OIG), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia are leading the investigation, with the assistance of the following agencies:

U.S. Marshals Service
The Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD)
Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI)
Bibb County Sheriff’s Office
Crawford County Sheriff’s Office
Houston County Sheriff’s Office
Merriweather County Sheriff’s Office
Peach County Sheriff’s Office
Taylor County Sheriff’s Office
Webster County Sheriff’s Office
Byron Police Department
Fort Valley Police Department

This is an ongoing investigation and any individuals who may be arrested in this investigation are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of competent jurisdiction.

Eleven federal search warrants were executed at the following locations on Wednesday, February 26, 2020:

323 Ruby Street, Macon, Bibb County, Georgia
16 Spruce Lane, Roberta, Crawford County, Georgia
99 Calloway Drive, Roberta, Crawford County, Georgia
107 Stanton Circle, Warner Robins, Houston County, Georgia
407 Vienna Street, Fort Valley, Peach County, Georgia
718 Green Street, Apt. A101, Fort Valley, Peach County, Georgia
223 Buckrun Road, Talbotton, Talbot County, Georgia
293 Chapman Road, Shiloh, Talbot County, Georgia
838 Jeff Hendricks Road, Woodland, Talbot County, Georgia
65 Turner Estates Road, Reynolds, Taylor County, Georgia
369 Millard Kennedy Road, Preston, Webster County, Georgia

The 168 rescued animals are now in the care of the U.S. Marshals Service. Many of the animals are malnourished with scarring, and some are severely injured and require surgery or other medical intervention. For example, one animal, a female pit bull, was discovered chained with broken legs, malnourished and overbred.

An emergency veterinarian was on hand to administer care to the pit bull. At least two dogs had emergency surgery to treat their injuries. For the safety of the animals, the location of their care and housing will not be made public.

“I am incredibly grateful to the law enforcement teams who came together from all over the region to rescue these abused animals as we continue to investigate this alleged dog fighting ring,” said U.S. Attorney Charlie Peeler. “Illegal dog fighting is a barbaric activity. Those who choose to violate the Animal Welfare Act face serious consequences, including federal prison time, where there is no parole.”

“The provisions of the Animal Welfare Act were designed to protect animals from being used in illegal fighting ventures, which often entail other forms of criminal activity involving drugs, firearms, and gambling,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason Williams of the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG). “Animal fighting is an investigative priority for USDA-OIG, and together with the Department of Justice, we will work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and assist in the criminal prosecution of those who participate in animal fighting ventures.”

“These search warrants are part of a multi-month, multi-agency investigation into allegations of illegal dog fighting and drug trafficking,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “Because of the dedication between all law enforcement agencies involved, the citizens of Middle Georgia are safer and innocent animals have been rescued.”

The federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) defines “animal fighting venture” as “any event, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, that involves a fight conducted or to be conducted between at least two animals for purposes of sport, wagering, or entertainment.”

It is illegal to sponsor or exhibit an animal in, attend or cause an individual who has not attained the age of 16 to attend an animal fighting venture. It is illegal to possess, train, sell, buy, transport, deliver or receive an animal for purposes of having the animal participate in an animal fighting venture. It is unlawful to use an instrumentality of interstate commerce for commercial speech for purposes of advertising an animal for use in an animal fighting venture, or for promoting or furthering an animal fighting venture. All of these offenses are felonies punishable by up to five years in prison.

USDA Animal Care, a unit within the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, administers the AWA. This federal law establishes requirements concerning the transportation, sale and handling of certain animals and includes restrictions on the importation of live dogs for purposes of resale, prohibitions on animal fighting ventures and provisions intended to prevent the theft of personal pets. Regulations established under the AWA set standards for the humane care and treatment for certain animals that are exhibited to the public, sold for use as pets, used in research or transported commercially.

Facilities using regulated animals for regulated purposes must provide their animals with adequate housing, sanitation, nutrition, water and veterinary care, and they must protect their animals from extreme weather and temperatures. The regulations also establish specific requirements that must be met prior to the importation of dogs for resale purposes.

The investigation was conducted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia Bowen Mize is prosecuting the case for the Government. Questions can be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603 or Melissa Hodges, Public Affairs Director (Contractor), United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 765-2362.

Justice.gov (February, 2020) 168 Dogs Rescued In Georgia Pursuant To Federal Search Warrants

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Defendant Sentenced To Life Imprisonment For 1997 Kidnapping, Traveling With Intent To Engage In Sexual Act With A Juvenile

Henri Michelle Piette, who had been found guilty by a federal jury on June 6, 2019, was sentenced on February 20, 2020, to life imprisonment for Kidnapping, and 360 months for Traveling With Intent to Engage in Sexual Acts With a Juvenile.

Sentencing Includes Life For Kidnapping, 360 Months For Traveling With Intent To Engage In Sexual Acts With Juvenile, $50,000 Fine, And $50,067 Restitution

During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that the defendant had kidnapped the victim, who was 12 at the time, from Poteau, Oklahoma, in 1997 where she had been living with her mother, who had been in a relationship with the defendant.

Over the course of the nearly 20 years that followed, the defendant repeatedly raped and inflicted additional physical and emotional abuse upon the victim. The victim gave birth to nine children, the first being born in 2000 when she was 15 years old. In July 2016 the victim was able to escape with her children to the United States Consular General Offices in Nogales, Mexico. The Federal Bureau of Investigation was notified and the investigation began.

The investigation revealed, and the victim testified at trial, that the defendant had moved her and their children dozens of times within the United States and Mexico. The Defendant used numerous aliases and forced the victim to use aliases, dye her hair, and wear glasses to change her appearance. He controlled the victim by extreme violence, threats of violence, and sexual abuse against her and her children.

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Assistant United States Attorneys Sarah McAmis and Edward Snow represented the United States during the trial. The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the United States Department of State Diplomatic Security Service, and the District Attorney’s Office for Oklahoma’s 27th Prosecutorial District.

“Life in prison is a sentence the law reserves for the most serious offenders – offenders like Henri Michelle Piette. For 20 years he inflicted extreme physical and emotional abuse on the victim and her children. For 20 years she feared for her and her children’s lives,” said United States Attorney Brian J. Kuester. “The victim’s courage ended the defendant’s reign of terror. Unfortunately, the horrific memories may very well last a life time. It is fitting that the defendant’s sentence will also.”

“For over 20 years Henri Piette inflicted immeasurable harm upon his victims. We hope today’s sentencing provides closure to the victims and an opportunity to heal,” said Melissa Godbold, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Oklahoma City Division. “The FBI would like to thank our law enforcement partners for their dedication and efforts on this investigation.

The Honorable Ronald A. White, District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, presided over the sentencing hearing. The defendant will remain in custody pending transportation to the designated federal facility at which the non-paroleable sentence will be served.

ICE.gov (February, 2020) Defendant Sentenced To Life Imprisonment For 1997 Kidnapping, Traveling With Intent To Engage In Sexual Act With A Juvenile

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Georgia man sentenced for transporting drugs disguised as children’s candy

A Georgia man was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison Tuesday, followed by five years of supervised release, for illegally transporting 41.97 kilograms of 100% pure methamphetamine and 4.5 kilograms of heroin that had been smuggled into the United States from Mexico.

The sentencing was announced by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New Orleans Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Jere T. Miles and U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst.

“By concealing dangerous narcotics as children’s candy, the defendant targeted our most vulnerable population, our youth,” said HSI New Orleans SAC Jere T. Miles. “Thanks to HSI special agents, and our partners at the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office, our communities will be safer with this criminal behind bars.”

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“This criminal endangered not just our citizens but our children, stooping so low as to disguise this poison as candy just so he could make a quick buck, caring not that it would cause damage, destruction and death in our communities. Because of the great work of our federal, state and local law enforcement, as well as our prosecutors, this criminal will not be peddling these toxins to our kids or anyone else anymore,” said U.S. Attorney Hurst.

On April 16, 2018, Cleveland James McKinney, 30, of Atlanta, traveled to Brandon, Mississippi from Atlanta, to retrieve a drug shipment that originated in Mexico and entered the United States through Brownsville, Texas. The drugs were concealed in what appeared to be shrink-wrapped, bulk packaged children’s candy. McKinney was to transport the drugs to Atlanta and deliver them to his co-conspirator, Evelyn Michelle Hernandez.

Unbeknownst to McKinney, HSI already had intercepted the narcotics shipment and had replaced the drugs with a false substance in packaging almost identical to the children’s candy packaging that had concealed the illegal methamphetamine and heroin.

McKinney drove to the designated location and retrieved the packages that he believed contained the illegal drugs. He then began his return trip to Atlanta. He was arrested shortly thereafter. McKinney was charged in a federal criminal indictment and pled guilty Nov. 21, 2019.

At the Tuesday sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge David Bramlette III, McKinney was also ordered to pay a $1,500 fine.

Hernandez was also indicted and sentenced Nov, 19, 2019 to 168 months in federal prison.

This case was investigated by HSI, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, and the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office Interdiction Task Force. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carla J. Clark.

ICE.gov (February, 2020) Georgia man sentenced for transporting drugs disguised as children’s candy

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