Source- http://neworleans.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel11/no022311.htm
NEW ORLEANS, LA—JO ANN GIROD, age 36, a resident of Marrero, was convicted as charged today by a federal jury of nine counts of health care fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Jim Letten.
According to evidence introduced at trial, A New Beginning of New Orleans, Inc. (ANBNO) was a Medicaid provider located in Harvey, Louisiana that made claims for personal care services it claimed to have provided to Medicaid recipients. Personal care services (PCS) are Medicaid services provided by attendants to eligible recipients meeting the medical necessity criteria who are unable to care for themselves. ANBNO solicited mothers with children who had Medicaid benefits to apply for PCS.
GIROD, the mother to three children who were Medicaid recipients, signed forms and represented that ANBNO provided PCS services to each of her children for two hours a day every day between April 2001 and February 2005. Instead of providing PCS, ANBNO workers assigned to care for GIROD’S children paid GIROD cash kickbacks for the use of her children’s Medicaid information. Based upon this fraudulent information, Medicaid paid approximately $65,131 to ANBNO for services that were not performed related specifically to GIROD’S children.
From the time of the inception of ANBNO, through May 4, 2005, Medicaid paid approximately $3,977,288 as a result of the fraudulent claims made by ANBNO and its employees. On September 9, 2009, three other workers and parents associated with ANBNO were convicted after a jury trial. Additionally, several other employees were convicted after guilty pleas, as was AKASIA LEE, the owner of ANBNO.
JO ANN GIROD faces a possible maximum sentence of 90 years’ imprisonment and $2,250,000 in fines.
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