HOME HEALTH CARE COMPANY OWNER PLEADS GUILTY FOR ROLE IN $74 MILLION FRAUD

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT  

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Owner and Administrator of Miami Home Health Companies Pleads Guilty for Role in $74 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

A Miami resident who owned a home health care company and was the administrator of another home health care company pleaded guilty today for her participation in a $74 million Medicare fraud scheme.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer of the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Field Office and Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan Lynch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Office of Investigations Miami Office made the announcement.

Elsa Ruiz, 45, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Marcia G. Cooke in the Southern District of Florida to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.   Her sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 8, 2014.

According to court documents, Ruiz was an owner of Professional Home Care Solutions Inc. (Professional Home Care) and an administrator of LTC Professional Consultants Inc. (LTC), Miami home health care agencies that purported to provide home health and therapy services to Medicare beneficiaries.  Ruiz and her co-conspirators operated LTC and Professional Home Care for the purpose of billing the Medicare program for, among other things, expensive physical therapy and home health care services that were not medically necessary and/or were not provided.

Also according to court documents, Ruiz ran and oversaw the schemes operating out of LTC and Professional Home Care.   Ruiz and co-conspirators paid kickbacks and bribes to patient recruiters, who provided patients to LTC and Professional Home Care , as well as prescriptions, plans of care (POCs) and certifications for medically unnecessary therapy and home health services for Medicare beneficiaries.   Ruiz and her co-conspirators used these prescriptions, POCs and medical certifications to fraudulently bill the Medicare program for unnecessary home health care and therapy services.

From approximately January 2006 to June 2012, LTC and Professional Home Care submitted approximately $74 million in claims for home health care services that were not medically necessary and/or not provided, and Medicare paid approximately $45 million on those claims.

The case was investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG, and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.   The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Chief Joseph S. Beemsterboer of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.

Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged nearly 1,900 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $6 billion.  In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

MADE IN USA BRAND, LLC AGREES TO STOP USING DECEPTIVE CERTIFICATION CLAIMS

FROM:  U.S. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 

Made in USA Brand, LLC Agrees to Drop Deceptive Certification Claims

Company Claimed to Evaluate Made in USA Claims, but Instead Relied on Companies to Self Certify that Products Met Standard

A company that  provides a “Made in USA” certification seal to marketers has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it deceived consumers by allowing companies to use the seal without either independently verifying that those companies’ products were made in the United States, or disclosing that the companies had certified themselves.

The company, Made in USA Brand, LLC, is required under the proposed settlement to stop its deceptive claims.

The FTC’s Enforcement Policy Statement on U.S.-Origin Claims provides that products advertised or labeled as “Made in the USA” must be “all or virtually all” made in the United States. Made in the USA Brand, LLC charges companies to use its certification mark and to be listed in a database of “certified” companies that comply with the FTC’s standard.
The Columbus, Ohio-based Made in the USA Brand, LLC charged $250 to $2,000 for a one-year license to use the certification mark, according to the FTC. But the company did not independently evaluate the products before certifying them, and had no procedures to determine whether marketers complied with the FTC’s Made in USA standard, according to the complaint.

In fact, the FTC charged that Made in the USA Brand has never rejected a company’s application to use its Certification Mark or terminated a company’s use of the mark. Instead, Made in the USA Brand, LLC awarded licenses to any company that self-certified that it was complying with the FTC’s standard.

“Seals can be very helpful when consumers purchase products based on claims that are difficult to verify – like the Made-in-the-USA claim,” said Jessica Rich, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “When marketers provide seals without any verification, or without telling consumers the seal is unverified, consumers are deceived and the value of all marketers’ seals is diminished.  This case makes it clear that the FTC will not let that happen.”

In a promotional flyer, Made in the USA Brand, LLC claimed:

“The Made in USA Brand Certification Mark provides a standard symbol for Made in USA product identification . . . When printed on labels by accredited manufacturers, consumers are able to identify at a glance which products are
made in the USA.”

“The Certification Mark is available to be downloaded by U.S. businesses that meet the accreditation standards based on the Federal Trade Commission’s regulations for complying with Made in USA origin claims.”

According to the complaint, Made in the USA Brand, LLC:

falsely advertised that it independently and objectively evaluated whether certified products met its accreditation standard.
made false or unsupported claims that companies listed in its database as certified marketers were in fact selling products that complied with the FTC’s Made in USA standard.
provided the companies it licensed with the means to deceive consumers into believing that the companies were marketing products that were made in the United States.
Under the proposed administrative order, respondent Made in the USA Brand, LLC, is prohibited from:

claiming that any products or companies meet its certification standard unless it either conducts an independent and objective evaluation, or discloses on its logo and all its promotional materials that companies and products are self-certified.
claiming that any product is made in the USA or in any other country unless the claim is true and supported by competent and reliable evidence, or – if the certification mark is used –unless it discloses that companies and products are self-certified.
providing the companies it certifies with the means to deceive consumers.
The Commission vote to accept the consent agreement package containing the proposed consent order for public comment was 5-0.

The FTC will publish a description of the consent agreement in the Federal Register shortly.  The agreement will be subject to public comment for 30 days, beginning today and continuing through August 22, 2014, after which the Commission will decide whether to make the proposed consent order final. Interested parties can submit written comments electronically or in paper form by following the instructions in “Supplementary Information” section of the Federal Register notice. Comments should be submitted electronically using the online form here.

Instructions for submitting comments in paper form are listed in the “Accessibility” portion of the form.

NOTE: The Commission issues an administrative complaint when it has “reason to believe” that the law has been or is being violated, and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest.  When the Commission issues a consent order on a final basis, it carries the force of law with respect to future actions. Each violation of such an order may result in a civil penalty of up to $16,000.

The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s website provides free information on a variety of consumer topics. Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.

Contact Information
MEDIA CONTACT:
Betsy Lordan
Office of Public Affairs

BRANCH OF CANADIAN COMPANY TO PAY $2.5 MILLION FOR VIOLATIONS OF WASTEWATER PLANT IN SHREVEPORT, LA

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Thursday, July 10, 2014

U.S. Branch of Canadian Company to Pay $2.5 Million Penalty for Shreveport, La., Wastewater Plant

Settlement Resolves Water, Hazardous Waste and Air Violations

Houston-based CCS (USA) Inc. and several of its operating subsidiaries will pay a $2.5 million civil penalty relating to operations at its Shreveport, Louisiana, industrial wastewater treatment plant, the Department of Justice, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the state of Louisiana announced today.  The settlement will resolve violations of the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act and the hazardous waste law known as RCRA.

CCS acquired the plant in 2006 through its purchase of two closely held companies owned by John Emerson Tuma.  Tuma is now serving a five-year prison sentence for illegally discharging untreated and improperly treated wastewater from the plant into the Red River and Shreveport Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW).  Inspections by EPA and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality following the sale led to the discovery of these violations and others, including unpermitted storage and improper handling of hazardous wastes and sludge, unpermitted stormwater discharges and noncompliance with Clean Air Act requirements for benzene-containing wastes.

After discovering these violations, CCS ceased wastewater treatment operations at the facility.  Under EPA supervision, CCS removed the hazardous wastes illegally stored there.

The $2.5 million civil penalty will be split evenly between the United States and state of Louisiana.

The stipulation of settlement, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, is subject to a 45-day public comment period and approval by the federal court.

FTC WANTS PLASTIC LUMBER COMPANY TO SUBSTANTIATE ENVIRONMENTAL CLAIMS

FROM:  U.S. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

Too Good To Be Green: Company’s Plastic Lumber Claims Don’t Hold Up
FTC Order Requires Firm to Be Able to Substantiate Environmental Claims
An Illinois-based firm that manufactures, markets, and sells plastic lumber is the latest to find itself in trouble with the Federal Trade Commission, after allegedly making deceptive claims in its advertising and marketing material that many of its products are made entirely of recycled plastic. In reality, according to the FTC, the products were made of less than three-quarters recycled plastic.

Under a proposed FTC settlement, the company, Engineered Plastics Systems, LLC (EPS), must have credible evidence to support any environmental benefit claims it makes, with scientific proof, if necessary. It also requires EPS to be able to specifically substantiate any claims it makes about the amount of recycled content in its products.

“This is the second case the FTC has brought in the last two months related to environmental claims for plastic lumber products,” said Jessica Rich, Director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Companies know that consumers are increasingly looking to buy products with ‘green’ attributes. But companies can’t sell products by make false environmental claims – that’s against the law.”

EPS is based in Elgin, Illinois, and makes, advertises, sells, and distributes plastic lumber products, including picnic tables and benches. According to the complaint, since at least June of 2011, the company has run ads and distributed promotional material for its plastic lumber products describing their environmental attributes. For example, the company claimed, among other things, that some of its benches and tables were:

“Made entirely of recycled plastic lumber”;
“All recycled plastic design”; and
“Constructed using 2x4 recycled plastic lumber profiles.”
In its administrative complaint, the FTC alleges that while a reasonable consumer would likely interpret EPS’s claims to mean that its products are made from all, or virtually all, recycled plastic, in fact, between June 2011 and 2014, they contained, on average, only about 72 percent recycled plastic. The products also contained some non-recycled plastic and a mineral component.

Specifically, the complaint charges that the company made deceptive environmental claims for its Eco, Hexagonal, and Perennial tables; and its Garden, Geneva, and Trailside benches. None of these products, the FTC alleged, are made of “all or virtually all recycled plastic,” and the company’s claims therefore violate the FTC Act, which prohibits deceptive and misleading advertising.

The proposed consent order is designed to prevent EPS from making similarly deceptive environmental claims in the future. It prohibits the company from making any representations regarding the recycled content or environmental benefit of any product or package, unless they are true, not misleading, and substantiated by competent and reliable evidence. If necessary, the company may be required to provide scientific evidence that the claims are true. Further, consistent with the FTC’s Green Guides for Environmental Marketing (commonly known as the Green Guides), EPS specifically must substantiate recycled content claims with evidence that the content is made from materials recovered from the waste stream.

The proposed order, which also contains compliance and reporting requirements, will expire in 20 years. Its terms are similar to those in the proposed order setting similar FTC charges earlier this year against American Plastic Lumber, Inc.

Information for Consumers

The FTC has information for consumers in a blog post on its website on environmental claims for plastic products.  Also, the FTC provides detailed guidance to businesses on such claims in the Green Guides.

The Commission vote to accept the proposed consent order for public comment was 5-0. The FTC will publish a description of the consent agreement package in the Federal Register shortly. The agreement will be subject to public comment for 30 days, beginning today and continuing through August 18, 2014, after which the Commission will decide whether to make the proposed consent order final. Interested parties can submit written comments electronically or in paper form by following the instructions in the “Invitation To Comment” part of the “Supplementary Information” section.

NOTE: The Commission issues an administrative complaint when it has “reason to believe” that the law has been or is being violated, and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. When the Commission issues a consent order on a final basis, it carries the force of law with respect to future actions. Each violation of such an order may result in a civil penalty of up to $16,000.

The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s website provides free information on a variety of consumer topics. Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.

Contact Information
MEDIA CONTACT:
Mitchell J. Katz,
Office of Public Affairs

"COMMERCIALS CLAIMED JUST THREE MINUTES A DAY WOULD MAKE YOU THIN"

FROM:  U.S. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 

FTC Sends Refund Checks Totaling $9.3 Million to Nearly 200,000 Consumers Who Bought ‘Ab Circle Pro’ Device

Commercials Claimed just Three Minutes a Day would Make You Thin

An administrator working for the Federal Trade Commission is mailing 196,969 checks averaging $47.51 each to consumers who purchased an abdominal exercise device known as the Ab Circle Pro.

In August 2012, the FTC settled with  Ab Circle Pro marketers Fitness Brands, four individuals, and seven other companies, after alleging that the defendants had deceptively advertised that exercising on the device for just three minutes a day would cause consumers to lose 10 pounds in two weeks.

The checks, which total $9.3 million, must be cashed within 60 days after they are issued.  The deadline for filing a refund request has expired.    For general refund information, see www.FTC.gov/refunds. The FTC never requires consumers to pay money or provide information before redress checks can be cashed.

Consumers should carefully evaluate advertising claims for exercise equipment. For more information see:  Tips for Buying Exercise Equipment.      

The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant . The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s website provides free information on a variety of consumer topics. Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Office of Public Affairs

President Obama Announces Members of the National Council on Federal Labor-Management Relations | The White House

President Obama Announces Members of the National Council on Federal Labor-Management Relations | The White House

FOUR PATIENT RECRUITERS PLEAD GUILTY FOR SCHEME INVOLVING DEFUNCT HOME HEALTH CARE COMPANY

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Four Patient Recruiters Plead Guilty in Miami for Roles in $20 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

Four patient recruiters pleaded guilty in connection with a $20 million health care fraud scheme involving Trust Care Health Services Inc. (Trust Care), a defunct home health care company.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer of the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Field Office and Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan Lynch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Office of Investigations Miami office made the announcement.

At a hearing today before U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles of the Southern District of Florida, Estrella Perez, 57, and Solchys Perez, 34, both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, and Abigail Aguila, 40, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and receive health care kickbacks.   Sentencing for all three defendants is set for Sept. 18, 2014 in front of Judge Gayles.   On June 17, 2014, another co-defendant, Monica Macias, 52, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and receive health care kickbacks before U.S. Magistrate Judge Chris M. McAliley of the Southern District of Florida.  Sentencing for Macias is set for Sept. 10, 2014 before Judge Gayles.

According to court documents, the defendants worked as patient recruiters for the owners and operators of Trust Care, a Miami home health care agency that purported to provide home health and physical therapy services to Medicare beneficiaries.   Trust Care was operated for the purpose of billing the Medicare Program for, among other things, expensive physical therapy and home health care services that were not medically necessary and/or were not provided.

The defendants recruited patients for Trust Care and solicited and received kickbacks and bribes from the owners and operators of Trust Care in return for allowing the agency to bill the Medicare program on behalf of the recruited Medicare patients.   These Medicare beneficiaries were billed for home health care and therapy services that were not medically necessary and/or were not provided.

Estrella Perez and Solchys Perez also paid kickbacks and bribes to co-conspirators in doctors’ offices and clinics in exchange for providing home health and therapy prescriptions, plans of care, and medical certifications for their recruited patients.   Co-conspirators at Trust Care then used these prescriptions, plans of care and medical certifications to fraudulently bill the Medicare program for home health care services.

From approximately March 2007 through at least January 2010, Trust Care submitted more than $20 million in claims for home health services.   Medicare paid Trust Care more than $15 million for these fraudulent claims.

The case was investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.   This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys A. Brendan Stewart and Anne P. McNamara of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.

Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged nearly 1,900 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $6 billion.  In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.