Owner of Durable Medical Equipment Company Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Medicaid of More Than $9 Mill

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https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/owner-durable-medical-equipment-company-pleads-guilty-defrauding-medicaid-more-9-million

Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Owner of Durable Medical Equipment Company Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Medicaid of More Than $9 Million

Defendant Used Money to Buy Real Estate, Luxury Car

The owner of a company that provided durable medical equipment pleaded guilty today to a federal charge of health care fraud for carrying out a scheme in which she fraudulently obtained more than $9.4 million in District of Columbia Medicaid payments.
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Waveney Blackman, 72, of Bowie, Maryland, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Her sentencing is scheduled on Oct. 18 before the Honorable Thomas F. Hogan.

Blackman was the sole owner and chief executive officer of WaveCare Health Services LLC, also known as WaveCare Healthcare Services LLC. The company, based in the District of Columbia, was a provider of durable medical equipment, including wound care and incontinence supplies, to Medicaid beneficiaries and others. It became a Medicaid provider in 2008.

According to the plea documents, Blackman devised and executed a scheme to submit false and fraudulent claims to Medicaid for durable medical equipment, including incontinence and wound care supplies, which she knew were not purchased or provided to Medicaid beneficiaries. From January 2010 through approximately June 2016, Blackman sent and caused employees to send false and fraudulent invoices to a biller engaged by the company, which were then submitted to Medicaid. All told, she submitted and caused the submission of at least $9.8 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicaid. Blackman, through WaveCare, fraudulently obtained $9,431,979 from Medicaid.

According to the plea documents, Blackman used the fraudulent proceeds to obtain properties, including three in Florida and four in Maryland, as well as a Mercedes Benz.
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