Columbia Lady Sentenced to 57 Months in Jail for Health and fitness Treatment Fraud | USAO-SDMS

Hattiesburg, Skip. – A Columbia, Mississippi lady was sentenced to 57 months in jail for defrauding overall health care insurance policy suppliers. 

Pleasure Beth Harden, 51, pled responsible on August 10, 2021, to executing a plan to defraud Medicare and other overall health care profit applications.  Especially, Harden submitted fraudulent costs for sturdy clinical gear on behalf of her organization, BZB LLC doing small business as Duracare Property Healthcare Gear in the Hattiesburg place.  As a outcome, Medicare and other positive aspects systems compensated Harden for resilient healthcare tools that was by no means approved for people and for medical products that was in no way sent to the individuals.

United States District Judge Taylor B. McNeel sentenced Harden on April 15, 2022, to serve a expression of 57 months in federal prison, followed by a expression of 3 a long time of supervised launch.  Harden was also purchased to spend full restitution to all of the wellness care insurers she defrauded.

The announcement was created by United States Lawyer Darren J. LaMarca, Distinctive Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mississippi, Unique Agent in Demand Tamala Miles of the U.S. Office of Wellbeing & Human Companies, Place of work of Inspector Standard (HHS OIG) Atlanta Regional Workplace, Distinctive Agent in Cost Cynthia A. Bruce of the DoD OIG, Defense Felony Investigative Assistance (DCIS) Southeast Area Office environment, and Inspector Typical Martin J. Dickman of the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board, Business of Inspector Standard (RRB OIG).

“Submitting promises for unsubstantiated companies threaten the integrity of the Medicare plan and increases the economical burden on taxpayers,” said Tamala Miles, Exclusive Agent in Demand with the Department of Health and Human Companies Business office of Inspector Standard (HHS-OIG). “Working intently with our partners, HHS-OIG will proceed to safeguard the integrity of federal health treatment courses by investigating persons who seek to exploit them.”

“Health treatment fraud threatens the most vulnerable of our citizens by endangering the courses which supply care for them,” stated Jermicha Fomby, Distinctive Agent in Cost of the FBI in Mississippi. “It is crucial we proactively root out this kind of acts as this fraud which erode the material of our healthcare technique upon which our citizens depend.  I want to commend the investigators and prosecutors who worked collectively on this situation. We seem ahead to continued partnerships this kind of as this amid the regulation enforcement local community in Mississippi.”

“There are no victimless crimes.  Stealing money from the Protection Wellbeing Agency (DHA) and Medicare is thieving income from all taxpayers,” stated Exclusive Agent in Cost Cyndy Bruce, Office of the Inspector Normal (DoD-OIG), Protection Legal Investigative Assistance (DCIS), Southeast Discipline Office environment.  “DCIS and our investigative companions will carry on to arrive just after these who seek to illegally enrich by themselves and hold them accountable for their actions.” 

“The U.S. Railroad Retirement Board, Workplace of Inspector Normal (RRB-OIG) is dedicated to battling Medicare fraud, waste, and abuse and is happy to be element of this collaborative effort and hard work with the FBI, HHS-OIG, and DoD-OIG,” mentioned Inspector Normal Martin J. Dickman. “The sentencing of Joy Beth Harden sends a loud and clear message that combating Medicare fraud is a prime federal legislation enforcement priority and unscrupulous Medicare vendors will not be tolerated.”

This case was investigated by the HHS-OIG, FBI, DCIS, and RRB-OIG. The circumstance was prosecuted by Deputy Criminal Main Dave Fulcher.