Talk About a “Dead Giveaway …”

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Marcus and Beth Jenkins of Farmington Hills, Michigan, were doing “better” for quite a few years; now they are doing “worse.” Each pleaded guilty in US Federal Court to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and five counts of health care fraud. As owners of several Detroit-area businesses that housed severely mentally-disabled Medicare recipients, the husband – wife duo conspired to defraud Medicare through Quality Recreation & Rehabilitation LLC (QRR) and Procare Rehabilitation Inc., two adult day care centers for the severely mentally-disabled. Prosecutors alleged that the Medicare information of more than 100 Detroit-area AFC residents was used to bill Medicare through QRR and Procare for individual and group psychotherapy.

In all, during a seven-year period beginning in 2004, the Mr. and Mrs. Fraudster and their alleged co-conspirators submitted more than 185,000 Medicare claims for group and individual psychotherapy, and Medicare paid $4,777.792 for non-provided services. At least one of those billings covered psychotherapy on a dead person. The hubby part of the couple is scheduled for sentencing in April and faces up to 60 years in prison and a $1.5 million fine.