Former CEO of Health Clinic Convicted of Medicaid Fraud | OPA

A federal jury convicted a former CEO of a overall health clinic for defrauding the Louisiana Medicaid System about many a long time. 

According to courtroom files and evidence presented at demo, Victor Clark Kirk, 73, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was the CEO of St. Gabriel Wellness Clinic Inc. (St. Gabriel), a Louisiana nonprofit corporation that delivered wellness care expert services to Medicaid recipients and some others. St. Gabriel was a federally skilled well being centre (FQHC) that contracted with the Iberville Parish College Board to supply medical products and services in the college district. As a FQHC, St. Gabriel could supply main treatment solutions to students as perfectly as products and services related to the diagnosis and treatment method of mental illnesses – supplied that this sort of services were medically essential – among the other requirements.

Proof at trial showed that St. Gabriel practitioners, at Kirk’s way, furnished character development and other educational packages to overall classrooms of college students through standard course periods. Kirk then induced the fraudulent billing of these packages to Medicaid as team psychotherapy. To aid the fraudulent plan, Kirk directed that St. Gabriel practitioners falsely diagnose pupils with psychological overall health ailments. From 2011 as a result of 2015, Kirk prompted over $1.8 million in fraudulent statements for purported group psychotherapy providers.

Kirk was convicted of conspiracy to dedicate wellness care fraud and 5 counts of wellness care fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 12, 2023, and faces a optimum penalty of 10 many years in jail per count. A federal district court docket choose will determine any sentence following considering the U.S. Sentencing Tips and other statutory elements.

Assistant Legal professional Basic Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. for the Center District of Louisiana Unique Agent in Demand Douglas A. Williams, Jr. of the FBI New Orleans Subject Business Director Jodi Edmonds LeJeune of the Louisiana Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) and Acting Exclusive Agent in Demand Jason Meadows of the Division of Overall health and Human Solutions, Office environment of the Inspector Common (HHS-OIG) produced the announcement.

The FBI, MFCU, and HHS-OIG investigated the case, which was introduced as part of the Gulf Coastline Strike Drive, supervised by the Felony Division’s Fraud Portion and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Center District of Louisiana.

Assistant Chief Justin M. Woodard and Trial Attorney Kelly Z. Walters of the Legal Division’s Fraud Area and Assistant U.S. Lawyer Kristen L. Craig for the Middle District of Louisiana are prosecuting the case.

The Well being Care Fraud Strike Force is part of a joint initiative concerning the Section of Justice and HHS to target their endeavours to avoid and deter fraud and implement recent anti-fraud guidelines about the country. Because its inception in March 2007, the Wellness Care Fraud Strike Pressure, which maintains 16 strike forces functioning in 27 districts, has billed practically 4,000 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare software for a lot more than $14 billion. In addition, the HHS Facilities for Medicare & Medicaid Expert services, doing the job in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking methods to maximize accountability and decrease the existence of fraudulent companies.