Owner of Northern Kentucky Chiropractic Clinic Indicted in Health Care Fraud Conspiracy
| U.S. Attorney’s Office November 14, 2013 |
COVINGTON, KY—The owner of a chiropractic clinic in northern Kentucky was indicted today on charges that she conspired to defraud a federal health care benefit program.
A federal grand jury in Covington returned the indictment charging 47-year-old Dr. Andrea Almond, of Cincinnati, with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
The indictment alleges that from September 2008 until April 2010, Almond, a chiropractor and owner of Newport Chiropractic in Campbell County, allegedly submitted health care claims to Medicaid for chiropractic services which she did not perform or witness. Furthermore, the indictment alleges that Almond was aware that the chiropractors who did perform the services were not enrolled as providers with Kentucky Medicaid and therefore were not eligible for reimbursement.
According to the indictment, over the course of the conspiracy, Almond submitted or caused to be submitted approximately 1,943 claims for payment in the approximate amount of $483,797 and received approximately $95,098 in actual reimbursement from Kentucky Medicaid.
Kerry B. Harvey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Perrye Turner, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation; Robin Dangleish, Postal Inspector in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service; and Jack Conway, Kentucky Attorney General, jointly made the announcement today after a federal grand jury in Covington returned the indictment.
The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the investigators with the Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control Unit with the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General. The indictment was presented to the grand jury by Assistant United States Attorney Laura K. Voorhees.
Almond’s appearance before the United States District Court has not yet been set by the Court in Covington. If convicted, Almond faces a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. However, any sentence following a conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the United States Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of sentences.