Several individuals and entities have been charged in separate health care fraud schemes involving millions of dollars in false billing to Medicare and the Veterans Administration, authorities announced.
Dr. Marion Lee, 61, of Cordele, Georgia, was charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States for allegedly billing Medicare approximately $24 million for medically unnecessary genetic testing and paying kickbacks. Lee, co-owner and medical advisor of Luminus Diagnostics in Tifton, allegedly conspired to submit false claims using “dummy proof” order forms with prepopulated diagnosis codes and frequently routed claims through another lab to avoid detection. Medicare paid about $4 million on these claims. The case is prosecuted by the Gulf Coast Strike Force and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Leland Roberts, 46, also of Tifton and co-owner and CEO of Luminus Diagnostics, faces similar charges related to a $30 million genetic testing fraud scheme with kickbacks. Roberts and co-conspirators used similar methods to submit fraudulent claims, resulting in Medicare payments totaling approximately $4.4 million…