Nine doctors in New York profited from disabled children: they were arrested

On October 26, federal authorities said that nine therapists for children with disabilities cheated City Department of Health for millions of dollars. They argued that they worked an almost impossible amount of hours and, accordingly, received more money. NY Daily News.

A group of therapists defrauded the state's Early Intervention Program (EIP) into more than $ 3,3 million. This is stated in a complaint made public on October 26 in Federal Court of Brooklyn. The program is aimed at helping children with disabilities, the project provides services such as speech therapy and physiotherapy.

The most egregious fraud involved in the case was 36-year-old therapist Manuel Moore. According to federal officials, he was paid nearly $ 700 for "non-existent sessions at the EIP."

Moore claimed that he conducted therapy sessions for 854 days, taking only one day off during that time. According to his records, between 2015 and 2018, he allegedly worked 98% of all days, including holidays. At the same time, according to the investigation, during more than 6 sessions that he allegedly conducted, Moore's cell phone was not in the area where the sessions were supposed to be held.

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Another therapist, 57-year-old Mercedes Falcon, alleged that she had sessions with children aged 3 and younger at 4 a.m. Sometimes classes, according to her notes, dragged on until late at night.

How the FBI found scammers

Nine employees are believed to have participated in the schemes between 2015 and 2019. The city found them simply by seeking out therapists with "unusually high pay." The officials then checked to see if the doctors were actually doing the work they claimed to be doing.

Almost $ 1 million of the stolen money came from Medicaid, investigators said. Another $ 2 million came from the city's Department of Health.

The fraud not only harmed the state and federal governments, which lost money, but also the children, authorities said.

“These nine defendants not only stole more than $ 3,3 million from public funds. They have robbed more than 200 New York City children of the early intervention services they were entitled to, ”said Department of Investigation Commissioner Margaret Garnett.

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Prosecutors argued that Moore and most of the other indicted therapists briefly stopped the fraud in 2018. Because federal authorities have arrested eight therapists for similar actions.

Since the October 2018 arrests, Moore's recording practice has temporarily changed. In a two-month period, his fake work activity dropped 50% from eight months before. By March and April 2019, however, the average number of hours, allegedly worked by Moore in a week, returned to the previous level.

Other therapists arrested under the scheme were Marsist Adolf, 58; Kikelomo Ogundiran, 54 years old; Roselie Johnson, 73; Jeanette Monklova, 69; Margaret Dominic-McLean, 54; Tracy Gibson, 37; and Dino Paolicelli, 58.