Resident Of Webster, New York Pleads Guilty To Health Care Fraud

          CONCORD, N.H. -   Acting United States Attorney John Farley announced today that Judith Morale (formerly known as Judith Remo), 54, currently a resident of Webster, New York, has pleaded guilty to health care fraud.

          According to court documents, from 2006 to 2012, Morale owned and operated a business, Bedford Geriatric Physical Therapy, LLC, that provided physical therapy services to Medicare beneficiaries.  Through the business, Morale provided routine foot care (e.g., toenail trimming, ingrown toenail repair and callus shaving) to patients in an assisted living facility in Bedford, New Hampshire.  Knowing that the services were not covered by Medicare, Morale obtained payments totaling $41,127.89 by submitting claims for payment to Medicare that falsely described these routine services as wound care.

          Morale is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Court Judge Joseph DiClerico on March 27, 2018.

          “Fraud against federal health care programs such as Medicare is a very a serious crime,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley.  “When health care providers fraudulently obtain money from the Medicare program, they will be held accountable for their actions.  I commend the efforts of the law enforcement agents whose work led to this conviction.”

         “By literally using the Medicare system as her own personal ATM, Ms. Morale violated the basic trust that taxpayers extend to healthcare providers.” said Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Boston Division.  “Fraudulently billing the government defrauds every American taxpayer, and the FBI is committed to finding those who abuse public health care programs to which we all contribute and depend on.”

         “Every Medicare dollar is needed to provide necessary patient care, thus skimming off funds by providers will not be tolerated,” said Phillip M. Coyne, Special Agent in Charge for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  “The message is clear.  Those who steal from Medicare will have to pay the price.”

          This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Davis and Robert Kinsella.

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