Aug. 2, 2021

Georgia company and owner admit guilt in scheme to evade U.S. national security trade sanctions

Dali Bagrou pied guilty in U.S. District Court to Conspiracy, while his company, World Mining and Oil Supply (WMO) of Dacula, Ga., pied guilty to Violation of the Export Control Reform Act, said David H. Estes, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The plea subjects Bagrou to a statutory sentence of up to five years in prison and substantial financial penalties, followed by up to three years of supervised release, while WMO is subject to a sentence of up to five years' probation, along with significant fines and financial restitution. As part of his plea, Bagrou also agreed to forfeit a home purchased with illicit proceeds; the Atlanta-area residence is valued at approximately $800,000.

July 30, 2021

Louisiana Doctor Pleads Guilty to Workers' Comp Fraud Conspiracy

A Lake Charles, La., physician pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, healthcare fraud, fraud to obtain federal employees' compensation, and illegal remunerations (taking kickbacks), in connection with a scheme to defraud the U.S. government and private insurance companies by over-billing for unnecessary medications provided to workers' compensation patients.

July 23, 2021

Interface Rehab to Pay $2 Million to Resolve Allegations It Caused Medicare Submissions for Unnecessary or Unreasonable Services

Interface Rehab (Interface), headquartered and operating in Orange County, has agreed to pay $2 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by causing the submission of claims to Medicare for rehabilitation therapy services that were not reasonable or necessary.

July 22, 2021

Three Individuals Charged in Bribery Scheme

Three individuals made their initial appearances in federal court this afternoon on charges of participating in a bribery scheme. According to the indictment, Susan May Keim, 52, and Russell John Keim, Sr., 59, of Hopewell, allegedly accepted bribes from Rodney Gale Wilson, 65, of Imperial, Missouri, in return for Susan Keim's award of federal subcontracts to Wilson's company, C&L Supply.

July 21, 2021

Former U.S. Army Employee Pleads Guilty to Kickback Scheme to Steer U.S. Government Contracts

A former civilian employee of the U.S. Army's Directorate of Public Works pleaded guilty today for his role in a kickbacks scheme to steer government contracts for work at Camp Arifjan, a U.S. Army base in Kuwait. According to court documents, Ephraim Garcia, 64, admitted that he conspired with Gandhiraj Sankaralingam, aka Gandhi Raj, the former general manager and co-owner of Kuwait-based contracting company Gulf Link Venture Co. W.L.L. (Gulf Link), to steer government contracts to Gulf Link. In his position with the U.S. Army, Garcia was involved in the solicitation, award and management of certain government contracts related to facilities support at Camp Arifjan.

July 21, 2021

Former Supervisory Pharmacist of Defunct New England Compounding Center Resentenced in Connection with 2012 Fungal Meningitis Outbreak

The former supervisory pharmacist of the now-defunct New England Compounding Center (NECC) was resentenced today in federal court in Boston in connection with the 2012 nationwide fungal meningitis outbreak. The defendant was resentenced after the First Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed his criminal convictions but vacated his sentence and forfeiture order. Glenn Chin, 53, previously of Canton, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to 126 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Chin was also ordered to pay forfeiture of approximately $473,584 and restitution of $82 million.

July 21, 2021

Turkish National Indicted for Wire Fraud and Illegally Exporting Defense Articles to Turkey

A Turkish national was indicted today in Boston in connection with his scheme to illegally export defense technical data to foreign nationals in Turkey for the fraudulent manufacturing of various United States military parts, in violation of the Arms Export Control Act. The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) later determined that some of the parts were substandard and unsuitable for use by the military. Arif Ugur, 52, formerly of Cambridge, Mass., was indicted on two counts of wire fraud, two counts of violating the Arms Export Control Act and one count of conspiring to violate the Arms Export Control Act. Ugur will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston tomorrow before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Jennifer C. Boal.

July 20, 2021

Sage Consulting Group, Inc. Agrees to Pay $4.8 Million to Settle Civil False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Act Allegations

A Virginia-based consulting group and its president and majority owner agreed to a $4.8 million settlement with respect to allegations that they paid kickbacks, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh for the Eastern District of Virginia.

July 20, 2021

Mississippi Pharmacist Pleads Guilty to More than $180-Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

A Mississippi pharmacist pleaded guilty today for his role in a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud TRICARE and private insurance companies by paying kickbacks to distributors for the referral of medically unnecessary compounded prescription medications that were ultimately dispensed by his pharmacies. The conduct allegedly resulted in more than $180 million in fraudulent billings, including more than $50 million paid by federal healthcare programs.

July 15, 2021

Minden, Louisiana Woman Pleads Guilty to Theft of Government Funds

Teressia Garner, 60, of Minden, Louisiana, pleaded guilty on July 9, 2021, to embezzling, and converting government funds to her own use, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca; Douglas Williams, FBI Special Agent in Charge, New Orleans Field Division; Dax Robertson, USDA OIG Special Agent in Charge in New Orleans; and Stephen Street, Louisiana Inspector General.