The DOJ announced that a federal jury convicted nurse practitioner Shanone Chatman-Ashley of five counts of health care fraud. The convictions stem from Chatman-Ashley’s role in a $2 million Medicare fraud scheme.
According to evidence presented at trial, Chatman-Ashley worked as an independent contractor for companies that claimed to provide telehealth services to Medicare beneficiaries. Chatman-Ashley signed over 1,000 orders for medically unnecessary durable medical equipment (DME) between 2017 and 2019. And she falsely certified that she had consulted with beneficiaries and conducted assessments. In exchange for signing fraudulent orders, she received kickbacks and bribes from these companies. Her actions ultimately led to over $2 million in fraudulent Medicare claims and more than $1 million in reimbursements.
Upon announcing Chatman-Ashley’s conviction, Matthew R. Galeotti, the Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, commented that “[d]ishonest medical practitioners put significant strain on our health care system and reduce the quality of patient care [and] The Department of Justice will not tolerate medical professionals who fraudulently enrich themselves at the expense of American taxpayers.”
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