The owner of a Georgia-based durable medical equipment company pleaded guilty to participating in a multimillion-dollar Medicare kickback and telemedicine fraud scheme, the Department of Justice announced July 14.
Four details:
1. Wilmington Island Medical operator and Belleair Beach, Fla., resident Patrick Wolfe pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy.
2. Mr. Wolfe admitted to paying kickbacks in exchange for signed orders from physicians and nurse practitioners. Through WI Medical, he then billed those orders to Medicare Part B and Medicare Part C.
3. Mr. Wolfe could face up to five years in prison, plus "substantial financial penalties and forfeitures, followed by three years of supervised release upon completion of any prison sentence," according to the DOJ.
4. He was charged in connection with the largest fraud operation in the history of the Southern District of Georgia, along with eight physicians, two NPs, three telemedicine company operators, three patient data brokers and several other DME company operators.