MANILA, Philippines — A Filipino American nurse accused of allegedly masterminding the biggest healthcare insurance fraud in US history is now under house arrest after she was indicted by a grand jury, according to US-based media websites and court documents posted online.
Marizel Yukee, a resident of Las Vegas, was indicted by a grand jury for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and healthcare fraud amounting to $906 million and was placed under home detention, the Houston Public Media reported.
According to a ruling issued by the US District Court in the Southern District of Texas, Yukee and her co-conspirators, “targeted elderly Medicare beneficiaries, many of whom were terminally ill in hospice care, and caused medically unnecessary amniotic wound allografts to be applied to these vulnerable individuals.”
“[Yukee] also paid illegal kickbacks and bribes to providers to induce patient referrals for allograft applications and received illegal kickbacks and bribes from allograft distributors in exchange for purchasing allografts billed to federal health care programs,” the ruling dated June 18 read.
It also read that Yukee and her co-conspirators submitted more than $906 million in “false and fraudulent claims to Medicare and Tricare “for these medically unnecessary allografts and associated services.”
“Medicare and TRICARE paid more than approximately $297 million based on these claims. Through her four clinics, the Defendant submitted an average of over $1 million in claims per Medicare beneficiary for allografts,” it added.
She pleaded not guilty to all charges.
