Redondo Beach woman found guilty in $24 million medical insurance fraud scheme [Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Calif.]

Jun. 27—A 54-year-old Redondo Beach woman was found guilty by a federal jury Tuesday of billing Medicare more than $24 million in fraudulent claims for reimbursement on equipment deemed medically unnecessary, officials said.

Tamara Yvonne Motley, also known as Tamara Ogembe, was found guilty of 20 counts of healthcare fraud, two counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement.

An indictment by the grand jury stated that Motley operated the scam by paying marketers to recruit medical beneficiaries to certain referring physicians, who would prescribe patients unnecessary durable medical equipment, such as knee and back braces.

The fraudulent claims for mostly power wheelchairs and their repairs, many of which were never performed, were submitted through two medical equipment companies owned by Motley. Both companies were registered under the names of her out-of-state relatives, according to evidence presented at trial.

From July 2013 to November 2016, Motley's Ventura-based company Kaja Medical Equipment & Supply received $2.8 million in reimbursement on fraudulent claims for power wheelchair repairs. The defendant's other company, Action Medical Equipment and Supplies, was paid almost 10.3 million dollars over eight years, authorities said in a press release.

Court records also show that employees at the two companies would cold-call beneficiaries and offer free repairs and replacement services, then ask them to sign documents falsely stating that the repairs were performed.

The 54-year-old woman is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 3, where she faces up to 20 years in prison for conspiring to launder money and up to 10 years for each count of healthcare fraud. She also faces a mandatory sentence of two years for aggravated identity theft, the U.S. Justice Department said.

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