Three Nurses Sentenced for Healthcare Fraud

Acting U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that SUPRENIA WASHINGTON, age 61, ERICA EDWARDS, age 32, both of New Orleans, and JEFF KOON, age 44, of Lockport, were sentenced today after previously pleading guilty to healthcare fraud.

U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan sentenced WASHINGTON, EDWARDS, and KOON each to two years probation. Additionally, each defendant was ordered to pay restitution as follows: WASHINGTON, $2,324.19; EDWARDS, $2,199.28; and KOON, $2,135.

On March 12, 2015, WASHINGTON was indicted along with 20 other defendants in a 26-count Indictment charging approximately $30,052,295 in Medicare fraud.

On April 21, 2016, EDWARDS and KOON were charged along with 12 other defendants in a 31-count Superseding Indictment charging approximately $30,252,906 in Medicare fraud.

According to court documents, WASHINGTON was a Registered Nurse (RN) at ABIDE HOME CARE SERVICES, a home health company operated by owner LISA CRINEL. WASHINGTON’S guilty plea involved her care for Medicare beneficiaries, falsification of documents and failure to notify officials of the ongoing health care fraud at ABIDE.

On September 8, 2016, WASHINGTON pled guilty to one count of healthcare fraud.

According to court documents, EDWARDS and KOON worked as RNs for ABIDE. Their duties included assessing the status of patients, initiating a plan of care, evaluating patient needs, providing comprehensive nursing care, among other things. KOON and EDWARDS pleaded guilty to fraudulently recertifying patients for home health by recording false changes in medications and exacerbations in medication conditions that did not occur and falsely documented that patients were homebound.

On July 20, 2016, EDWARDS and KOON each pled guilty to a one count of healthcare fraud.

Acting U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrice Harris Sullivan, Hayden M. Brockett, Sharan Lieberman and Maria Carboni were in charge of the prosecution.