Area Physician Assistant Guilty of Medicare Fraud
California Penal Code Section 470
The Federal Bureau of Investigation website reports that a Los Angeles area physician assistant has just been found guilty of milking Medicare out of millions of dollars between March, 2007 and September, 2008. David James Garrison, along with others, owned and operated several fraudulent medical clinics whose alleged sole purpose was to defraud Medicare.
Charges against Garrison include aggravated identity theft, health care fraud, and conspiracy to commit health care fraud. He was alleged to have worked at dummy medical clinics where he wrote prescriptions from stolen identities for diagnostic tests, medications, and durable medical equipment, most notably high-tech wheelchairs. In many cases these prescriptions were medically unnecessary.
The scheme involved convincing unwary Medicare recipients of providing their information in exchange for free items, such as power wheelchairs. Garrison and others involved in the ruse would purchase the wheelchairs from wholesale medical providers for $900, and charge Medicare as much as $5000. Some of the money would be paid to the Medicare recipients, while much of it would be pocketed for profit.
The case is a result of the work executed by the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, a component organization of HEAT, which coordinated efforts with the Department of Justice. Since 2007 the strike force has helped bring charges against well over a thousand defendants, who allegedly defrauded Medicare out of more than $4 billion. Garrison will be sentenced on September 17. He faces up to a $2 million dollar fine, and 72 years in federal prison.
A felony conviction for theft or fraud can severely hinder a person’s ability to find work or housing. If you are facing charges for a crime, hiring the right attorney to defend you can make the difference between restoring your life and facing years of struggle. The attorneys at Wallin & Klarich have more than 40 years of experience defending clients. Call us today for a review of your case at (888) 749-0034.
