Tag Archives: Social Issues
- Arkansas DEA Extortion Scam Alert!
The Eastern District of Arkansas put out a scam alert this week to inform residents that impersonators are contacting citizens in the Little Rock district posing as DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) agents and extorting them. Anyone that receives a telephone call from a person claiming that they are a DEA special agent or other law [...]
- Consumer Warning: Bureau Of Prescription Health Charging For Free Assistance
If you’ve been doing business or contemplating doing business with the Missouri-based Bureau of Prescription Health the Better Business Bureau (BBB) is advising consumers to avoid this company. The Bureau of Prescription Health sounds like a trustworthy and reputable company (mainly because of the use of the word “Bureau”) but are in fact charging consumers [...]
- FTC Charges Settled By CVS After Deceptive Prescription Pricing For Seniors And Disabled Consumers
Stories like this scare me. Especially when I have family that utilizes these pharmacies and participates in the Medicare program. If you’re using Part D prescription drugs from CVS, read on…. It was announced late last week that the CVS Caremark Corporation has settled with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for deceptive pricing charges that [...]
- Nobody LIKEs A Scam: Facebook Timeline Deactivation Scams On The Rise
I’d like to have a show of hands of how many of our readers use Facebook. ::slowly raises hand:: Ok, good. Now that we’re all sitting at our desk/couch/phone raising our hands to a screen, put them down, you look pathetic. ::slowly puts own hand down:: On a serious note, a LOT of us use [...]
- Another Adoption Scam?!? Come On…
Roxanne Janel Jones, of Kansas City, had pleaded guilty to running an adoption scam where she pretended to be pregnant with twins and willing to let them be adopted in return for money and gifts. Jones pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud along with one count of aggravated [...]
- Defendants Arrested In Conjunction With $700,000 Health Care Fraud
Earlier this month three people, Ovsanna Agopian (aka Joanna Ovsanna / Joanna Smbatyan / Ovsanna Agopian), Boghos Babadjanian and Tolulope Labeodan, were charged in a federal indictment with various offenses related to their involvement in the operation of Euless Healthcare Corporation. The 10-count indictment charges each defendant with one count of conspiracy to commit health [...]
- Patient Recruiter Pleads Guilty To Role In Miami-Area $25 Million Home Health Medicare Fraud
Another defendant in the Miami $25 million home health Medicare fraud scheme pled guilty for her participation in the scheme as a patient recruiter. Beatriz Torres-Cruz pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of solicitation of health care kickbacks. Torres-Cruz was charged in a February 2011 indictment. [...]
- Vanguard Settles With $2 Million In False Claims Act
It was announced last week that the United States and the State of Tennessee will be receiving $2 million in a settlement of False Claims Act allegations from Vanguard and its wholly owned subsidiary, Vanguard Health Care Ancillary. The settlement resolves claims by the United States and the state of Tennessee that Vanguard wrongly billed [...]
- Adoption Scams Make Me Sick
In the business of reporting fraud and scams you often find similar situations, scenarios and stories across the huge array of scams in this world. Although I’ve heard, seen and read a lot of similar cases and continually question my faith in humanity there’s nothing like an adoption scam to get the blood boiling. A [...]
- Two Of America’s “Most Wanted” Sentenced
Two of America’s “Most Wanted” health care fraud fugitives were sentenced in Florida last week. Two sisters, Caridad Guilarte and Clara Guilarte, owned a fraudulent medical clinic near Detroit that lead to a $9.1 million Medicare fraud scheme. Each of the sisters face 14 years in prison. In August the sisters plead guilty to one [...]
- FTC Settles Charges Against Children’s Social Media Network After Collecting Personal Information Without Parental Consent
The operator of SkidEKids.com has settled charges from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) after collecting children’s information without parental consent. The website, SkidEKids.com, has been marketed and advertised as a website similar to Facebook or Myspace but for children, providing for them a safe and educational place on the internet. According to the FTC, Skid-e-kids [...]
- Franklin Drywall Cheats The Law And The Law Won
The owner and president of Franklin Drywall was sentenced in federal court last week for one count of providing false statements to two labor union pension and benefit funds. These acts by this Little Canada-based union sheet-rocking company was part of a scheme to underpay employees for overtime and underpay the union for pension and [...]
- 135 Month Sentence For $45 Million Medicare Fraud
Houston, Texas doctor, Christina Joy Clardy, was sentenced to just over 11 years (135 months) in federal prison for a monumental health care fraud conspiracy the resulted in Medicare and Texas Medicaid programs to be billed $45,039,230 over a 30 month period. Clardy is the third defendant to be sentenced in this matter. Last week [...]
- North Carolina Man Is Seventh Convicted Of $40 Million Black Diamond Ponzi Scheme
It was announced last week that Bryan Keith Coats of Clayton, North Carolina plead guilty to his role in connection with the Black Diamoind Ponzi Scheme Investigation that resulted in a $40 million investment fraud conspiracy. Coats admitted to one count of conspiracy to commit commodities, securities, and wire fraud and one count of promotional [...]
- Is It Prescription Harvesting Season Again? Sixteen Arrested In Conjunction With Operation “Psyched Out”
I love the names investigators attach to investigations. For example, last week 16 arrests in conduction with Operation “Psyched Out” were made. Operation “Psyched Out”! Love the name, not the act. Apparently sixteen people affiliated with the Manor Medical Imaging Clinic and pharmacies in and around the San Gabriel Valley in California participated in “prescription [...]