A registered nurse who owned a medical supply company was sentenced Wednesday to four years in federal prison for her role in an $8.3 million Medicare fraud scheme.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Christina A. Snyder ordered Olufunke Fadojutimi to pay nearly $4.3 million in restitution, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The 42-year-old Carson woman was convicted last summer of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, seven counts of health care fraud and one count of money laundering.
Fadojutimi, former owner of Lutemi Medical Supply, fraudulently billed Medicare for more than $8 million of durable medical equipment that was not medically necessary, federal prosecutors said.
Evidence showed that, between September 2003 and May 2010, Fadojutimi and others paid cash kickbacks to patient recruiters in exchange for patient referrals, and additional kickbacks to doctors for fraudulent prescriptions for medically unnecessary equipment, such as power wheelchairs.
Fadojutimi then used those prescriptions to support $8.3 million in bogus claims to Medicare, and received almost $4.3 million on those claims, according to the DOJ.
— City News Service