Phillip Minga of Mississippi was sentenced by a US District Court Judge earlier this month to just over six years in prison for his involvement in a $16.1 million healthcare fraud scheme. “In August, Minga pleaded guilty to four counts of health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud,” says a Department of Justice press release.
Minga signed an agreement in 2016 that would exclude pharmacies he managed in Alabama and Mississippi from the Medicare program for a 10 year period. The exclusion of certain individuals and entities from participation in Medicare and State health care programs can be attributed to many reasons, ranging from prior convictions in the medical space to license suspension and even defaulting on scholarship obligations.
In this case, Minga committed healthcare fraud by ignoring the contract and submitting claims through his pharmacies anyways. To cover up the scheme, Minga ordered that employees submitting Medicare paperwork for his pharmacies would keep his ownership interest secret. Over the years, Minga received about $16,109,446.67 in fraudulent Medicare funds, all of which he has been ordered to pay in restitution as well as forfeiting $7.1 million.
Before submitting claims to Medicare or any other State healthcare programs it is vital to consult with an attorney that specializes in healthcare fraud to ensure no previous agreements will pose a conflict. To set up a confidential consultation with the team at Padula Law please call us at 305 455 5206.
