HOUSTON
A registered nurse was convicted Wednesday by a federal jury for participating in an $8 million Medicare fraud scheme involving fraudulent claims for home-health services, according to officials.
Ann Anyanwu, 53, of Harris County, Texas, was convicted of three counts of a scheme to defraud Medicare following a jury tria in federal court. U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett set sentencing for Sept. 8, officials said.
According to the evidence presented at trial, from January 2012 through June 2015, Anyanwu and others executed a scheme to submit through Medpsych Home Health Care (Medpsych) approximately $8 million in false and fraudulent claims for home-health services to Medicare, according to authorities.
The evidence showed that beneficiaries for whom Medpsych billed Medicare did not receive home-health services, and many did not qualify for home-health services. In addition, it showed that Anyanwu created false medical records for nursing services – treatment that she never provided – and falsified other records of Medpsych to make it appear as if she provided nursing services when, in fact, she did not.
To date, two others have been charged for their roles in the scheme, officials said.
Precious Deshield, the former owner, director of nursing and administrator of Medpsych, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud for her role in the scheme.
Roland Johnson, the owner and operator of Medpsych, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud.
Deshield and Johnson currently await sentencing before Judge Bennett.