BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (June 3, 2022)--A Georgia woman was arrested on June 1 in Hampton, Georgia, on criminal charges related to an alleged scheme to defraud Medicare by prescribing medically unnecessary durable medical equipment (DME), which was then billed to Medicare.
According to a news release from the Department of Justice, Kateline Lavache, 53, of Hampton, allegedly prescribed medically unnecessary DME for Medicare beneficiaries in exchange for kickbacks and bribes from her co-conspirators. Lavache allegedly prescribed DME without conducting proper consultations with the beneficiaries. Lavache, whom LinkedIn lists as a registered nurse working as a family nurse practitioner, had no prior relationship with the beneficiaries, was not treating them and failed to conduct telemedicine consultations with them. As a result of the prescriptions, Lavache’s co-conspirators submitted approximately $8.8 million in false and fraudulent Medicare claims for medically unnecessary DME, of which Medicare paid more than $4 million. Lavache was paid more than $123,000 in kickbacks and bribes for her participation in the scheme, the indictment says.
Lavache is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud and four counts of health care fraud. If convicted, she faces up to 20 years in prison for the conspiracy count and up to 10 years in prison for each health care fraud count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence.
The FBI and HHS-OIG are investigating the case. Trial Attorney Alejandro J. Salicrup of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is prosecuting the case.