Federal Jury Finds Pittsburgh-Area Nursing Homes Guilty of Healthcare Offenses

PITTSBURGH, PA -After deliberating for two days, a federal jury found companies operating two Pittsburgh-area nursing homes, Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services, LLC, d/b/a Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center (Brighton) and Mt. Lebanon Operations, LLC, d/b/a Mount Lebanon Rehabilitation and Wellness Center (Mt. Lebanon), guilty of making false statements in connection with the payment of health care benefits and for the purpose of obstructing and impeding the investigation and proper administration of a matter within the jurisdiction of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today. Brighton was convicted of six counts and Mt. Lebanon was convicted of four counts. Brighton and Mt. Lebanon were tried before United States District Judge Robert J. Colville in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Additional individual defendants were acquitted.

Evidence presented at trial established that Brighton and Mt. Lebanon falsified staffing information provided to the Pennsylvania Department of Health and CMS to show that the facilities were in compliance with the conditions of participation in Medicare and Medicaid. The false certifications were provided to evade penalties that the government regulators could have imposed for failing to meet those conditions, including the condition that the facilities provide sufficient staffing to meet the needs of the residents.

Judge Colville scheduled sentencing for a date to be set in May, 2024. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of five years’ probation, a fine of $500,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based on the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendants.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Stephen R. Kaufman, Nicole A. Stockey, Karen Gal-Or, Jacqueline C. Brown, and Robert S. Cessar, along with Special Assistant United States Attorney Aaron McKendry.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General conducted the investigation that led to the convictions of the nursing facilities in this case.