Houston man arrested, accused of filing fake Medicare bills worth millions – Houston Public Media

Several Houston residents have been arrested and charged with submitting false Medicare bills for millions of dollars.

At least five local residents have been charged after the U.S. Department of Justice implemented a health care fraud prosecution plan. According to the United States Attorney’s Office, 193 people were arrested and charged across the country, including 76 doctors and nurses.

Sharon Pickrom, 64, was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 12 on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States and receiving kickbacks. She allegedly directed false medical prescriptions on behalf of individuals seeking benefits from the Department of Labor’s workers’ compensation program without their knowledge in exchange for illegal kickbacks from Custom Care Pharmacy.

Two other Houston residents are facing charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States after providing prescriptions to the owner of this pharmacy in exchange for bribes and kickbacks, according to the attorney’s office.

In a separate scheme, a federal grand jury indicted Harold Albert Knowles, 56, and Chantal Swart, 49, in connection with a $359 million scheme to bill Medicare for genetic testing. Knowles, who owned two Houston labs, struck a deal with Swart to funnel DNA samples from Medicare beneficiaries that were used for the kickbacks.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Knowles allegedly used doctors’ call centers and telemedicine services to obtain DNA samples and signed doctor’s orders that billed Medicare through his labs.

Conspiracy to defraud the United States carries a potential prison sentence of five years.

“These enforcement actions, including one against a Houston-area laboratory that allegedly fraudulently billed Medicare for hundreds of millions of dollars, are part of our coordinated efforts to combat health care fraud and prosecute those who exploit vulnerable individuals for profit,” U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani said in a statement.

As part of the enforcement scheme, the defendants allegedly defrauded programs entrusted to care for the elderly and disabled. Authorities seized more than $231 million in cash, luxury vehicles, gold and other assets, according to the attorney’s office.