The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office has charged a Northeast-based company and a Frankford woman with defrauding the federal Medicaid program in two separate cases.
Infinite Care Inc., based at 6423 Rising Sun Ave., is charged in one case along with its sister company, Infinite Care Special Needs Inc., and two of its officers, Julio Miranda of Cheltenham and Wanda De Martinez of 6330 Bingham St. An investigating grand jury determined that the defendants fraudulently billed Medicaid more than $1 million for services that the company never provided to purported clients. Medicaid is a federally funded program providing medical care to low-income citizens.
The fraud began in January 2010 and continued until recently, according to the state prosecutor, who announced the charges on Feb. 4. In addition to overbilling Medicaid, the defendants allegedly hired clients’ family members to care for their ailing relatives when the company could not provide legitimate medical care.
Infinite Care and Miranda, who served as the company’s vice president, are charged with Medicaid fraud, corrupt organizations, theft, conspiracy, tampering with public records and related crimes. De Martinez, 46, who served as the company’s treasurer, is charged with Medicaid fraud, theft and receiving stolen property.
On Feb. 6, the Attorney General’s Office announced criminal charges against a mother and her two adult children for over-billing the same federal healthcare program.
Vernon Brown, 26, and Kashonda Brown-Lisby, 23, both of 2028 E. Madison St., allegedly billed Medicaid for services that they purportedly provided as attendants to their disabled mother, Charmaine Boston, 41, of 4253 Penn St., between January 2010 and May 2013. The value of the alleged theft was about $35,000.
Boston allegedly submitted claims to Medicaid for services that her children did not provide to her, including some services purportedly provided to her by Brown when he was in prison. In addition, both siblings allegedly billed Medicaid for services purportedly provided when they were working shifts for other employers and when Boston was hospitalized. Boston allegedly signed fraudulent timesheets for the siblings.
All three defendants are charged with fraud, theft, conspiracy and related crimes. ••
