Wednesday, Feb 22, 2012
2:11 p.m. PDT
2:11 p.m. PDT
Serving San Marino, Pasadena, San Gabriel, Alhambra, Arcadia, South Pasadena
Southland Nurses Plead Guilty in $5 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme
Published 01/13/2012
- 2:46 p.m. PDT
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Two Southland nurses both face potential sentences
of 10 years in federal prison for their roles in a Medicare fraud scheme that
paid kickbacks to doctors and patients who did not qualify for in-home health
services, prosecutors said today.
Hee ``Angela' Jung Mun, 50, of Rancho Palos Verdes, and 43-year-old Ji
Hae Kim of Fullerton pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal health care fraud
charges before U.S. District Judge Dean D. Pregerson, according to the U.S.
Attorney's Office.
Mun, a registered nurse who operated now-defunct Greatcare Home Health
Inc. in Westlake admitted defrauding Medicare by paying illegal kickbacks to
doctors and patients, among other criminal activity, according to a plea
agreement.
The scheme, which bilked the federal health care program out of about $5
million, targeted elderly, primarily Korean, Medicare beneficiaries,
prosecutors said.
Kim, a nurse who worked at Greatcare, admitted in her plea agreement
that she prepared false forms to fraudulently justify that Medicare
beneficiaries needed home health services.
She also falsely claimed to have made patient visits that she knew were
either conducted by unlicensed people or not conducted at all, federal
prosecutors said.
Mun and Kim are scheduled Oct. 1 for sentencing.
Two other people involved in the scheme were charged last week with
health care fraud.
Seonweon Kim, 46, of Arcadia and Jung Sook Lee, 51, of Koreatown are
expected to make their initial court appearances on Jan. 23.
of 10 years in federal prison for their roles in a Medicare fraud scheme that
paid kickbacks to doctors and patients who did not qualify for in-home health
services, prosecutors said today.
Hee ``Angela' Jung Mun, 50, of Rancho Palos Verdes, and 43-year-old Ji
Hae Kim of Fullerton pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal health care fraud
charges before U.S. District Judge Dean D. Pregerson, according to the U.S.
Attorney's Office.
Mun, a registered nurse who operated now-defunct Greatcare Home Health
Inc. in Westlake admitted defrauding Medicare by paying illegal kickbacks to
doctors and patients, among other criminal activity, according to a plea
agreement.
The scheme, which bilked the federal health care program out of about $5
million, targeted elderly, primarily Korean, Medicare beneficiaries,
prosecutors said.
Kim, a nurse who worked at Greatcare, admitted in her plea agreement
that she prepared false forms to fraudulently justify that Medicare
beneficiaries needed home health services.
She also falsely claimed to have made patient visits that she knew were
either conducted by unlicensed people or not conducted at all, federal
prosecutors said.
Mun and Kim are scheduled Oct. 1 for sentencing.
Two other people involved in the scheme were charged last week with
health care fraud.
Seonweon Kim, 46, of Arcadia and Jung Sook Lee, 51, of Koreatown are
expected to make their initial court appearances on Jan. 23.
Copyright 2011 San Marino Tribune. All Rights Reserved.
V422
San Marino Tribune, 1441 San Marino Ave.,
San Marino, California, USA 91108 Tel. 626-792-6397 Fax. 626-792-4915
