Sentencing in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Charges of Health Care Fraud and Money Laundering

BATON ROUGE, LA—United States Attorney David R. Dugas announced that CLEOPATRA LACOUR MONTGOMERY, age 53, of Port Allen, Louisiana, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge James J. Brady on charges of health care fraud and money laundering.

MONTGOMERY pled guilty on October 2, 2008, to two counts of an indictment filed June 25, 2008. According to the factual stipulation in the plea agreement, MONTGOMERY billed Medicare $188,247 for twenty-two power wheelchairs and accessories, and was paid $103,982, when she actually provided less expensive scooters, or nothing at all, to Medicare beneficiaries. MONTGOMERY was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of twenty-four months followed by three years of supervised release. MONTGOMERY was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $103,982 to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Mike Fields, Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas Regional Office, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General, said, “Any time false claims are submitted for payment, the nation’s health insurance programs suffer. Our HHS OIG investigators will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to identify providers who deliberately manipulate the system to obtain crucial Medicare or Medicaid dollars.”

This investigation was conducted by the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This matter was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney René Salomon.