Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Medicare Fraud Max Sentence

By Matthew Worley

64 year-old George Dalyn Houser of Georgia was sentenced in Federal Court to 20 years in prison for Medicare fraud.  Houser and his wife operated three nursing homes and used them to fraudulently bill Medicare and Medicaid for “worthless services.”

Houser will serve his 20-year sentence followed by 3 years of supervised release.  He will also have to pay $6,742,808 in restitution to the Medicare and Medicaid programs.  Additionally, he must pay $872,515 in restitution to the IRS for failing to pay payroll taxes and personal income taxes.

Houser bought real estate, luxury vehicles, vacations, and planned to build a hotel – all while the residents in his nursing homes allegedly starved and lived in unacceptable conditions.

The nursing homes allegedly suffered from food shortages bordering on starvation, leaking roofs, no nursing or housekeeping supplies, poor sanitary conditions, major staff shortages, and safety concerns.

“Senior citizens in nursing homes are some of our most vulnerable citizens.  Houser stole millions in taxpayer dollars while the residents entrusted to his care went without food or medicine.  Now he’ll spend 20 years in prison,” said US Attorney Sally Quillan Yates.

The Office of the Inspector General is committed to aggressively investigating and prosecuting these taxpayer-funded, worthless service cases.

Medicare and Medicaid fraud are serious offenses and those that commit them face harsh prosecutions and severe penalties or jail time.  Having quality legal advice is imperative when defending such allegations.

The experienced fraud team at Fausone Bohn, LLP – Mark Mandell, Tariq Hafeez, and Breeda O’Leary – can provide a top-notch legal defense for those involved in a government investigation or prosecution.  The team can also provide counsel for “whistleblowers” looking to expose the fraud of their employers (or ex-employers).  Whistleblowers may be eligible to receive money from a settlement or verdict and this knowledgeable team has the expertise to obtain these positive results.

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