Richmond Businessman Sentenced for Health Care Fraud Conspiracy

RICHMOND, Va. – Ronald Tucker, 46, of Lawrenceville, was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for conspiracy to commit health care fraud for submitting false and fraudulent claims for reimbursement to the Virginia Medicaid program.  Tucker was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $442,148 to the Virginia Medicaid Program. 

Tucker pleaded guilty on Aug. 26, 2015. According to court documents, Tucker owned and operated Quality Healthcare Inc. (Quality), a Richmond-based Medicaid provider of Intensive In-Home and Mental Health Support services.   Intensive In-Home Therapy services, one of the many mental health services offered by Medicaid in Virginia, are designed to assist youth and adolescents who are at risk of being removed from their homes or are being returned to their homes after removal because of significant mental health, behavioral, or emotional issues.  Mental Health Support services are designed to enable individuals with significant psychiatric functional limitations to achieve and maintain community stability and independence. 

In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Tucker acknowledged that, through Quality, he billed Medicaid for services that were never performed and falsified patient eligibility criteria that was submitted to Medicaid’s prior-authorization service, falsely representing Medicaid recipients’ mental health statuses to qualify them for services they did not need. 

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia; and Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office,  made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer. 

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Virginia Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and Virginia Assistant Attorney General Joseph E.H. Atkinson, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:15-cr-150.