Buffalo Man Arrested, Charged For His Role In A Scheme To Defraud Medicaid Out Of Thousands Of Dollars

CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051

BUFFALO, N.Y.- U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Saleh Mozeb, 65, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with healthcare fraud. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

“The Medicaid program is intended to provide healthcare benefits to those in need,” noted U.S. Attorney Kennedy. “This Office and our partners will do all that we can in order to ensure that dishonest individuals who seek to enrich themselves by exploiting the Medicaid program are brought to justice.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan P. Cantil, who is handling the case, stated that the defendant is a co-owner of Great Lake Transportation, which is a non-emergency medical transportation provider for Medicaid recipients. Great Lake, which has been operating since August 2016, has approximately 15 vehicles in its fleet and employs approximately 20 drivers, primarily providing rides to and from methadone clinics in the Buffalo area. Between September 2016, and December 2020, representatives from Great Lake submitted fraudulent claims for payment to Medicaid, seeking reimbursement for non-emergency transportation allegedly provided by Mozeb. The fraud involved the billing of Medicaid transportation trips that were not actually being performed, and individual rides that were billed as group rides, resulting in a greater reimbursement. Great Lake billed approximately $34,825 between September 2016, and December 2020, for rides provided by the defendant.

The defendant made an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder, Jr. and was released on conditions, including electronic monitoring.

The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia; the New York State Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, under the direction of New York State Attorney General Letitia James; the New York State Police, Special Investigation Unit, under the direction of Major James Hall; the New York State Department of Financial Services, under the direction of Superintendent Linda A. Lacewell; the New York State Comptroller's Office, under the direction of Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli; and U.S. Border Patrol, under the direction of Acting Chief Patrol Agent Buffalo Sector Andrew K. Scharnweber.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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