Rome man gets 20 years for defrauding Medicaid, Medicare

From Atlanta Business Chronicle: (click for full article)

George D. Houser of Rome, Ga., was sentenced to 20 years in prison for conspiring with his wife to defraud the Medicare and Georgia Medicaid programs out of more $32.9 million by billing them for “worthless services” in the operation of three nursing homes.

This is the first time that a defendant has been convicted after a trial in federal court for submitting claims for payment for worthless services, according to U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates.

In addition to the health care fraud conspiracy count, Houser was also convicted of eight counts of failing to pay more than $800,000 in his nursing home employees’ payroll taxes to the IRS, and failing to file personal income tax returns in 2004 and 2005.