A Queens man has pleaded guilty to defrauding Medicare and New York State Medicaid of approximately $127 million by billing for phony drug prescriptions and stays at social adult day cares that were medically unnecessary.
According to a February press release from the IRS, Daniel Lee of Flushing was a program director at two social adult day care centers in the city. Between 2016 and 2026, he reportedly worked with a coconspirator the IRS identified as Inwoo Kim, who was charged with conspiracy to commit health fraud related to the same scheme, to pay kickbacks and bribes to Medicare beneficiaries and Medicaid recipients.
The duo would allegedly pay the illegal bribes in the form of cash or supermarket gift certificates to get recipients to fill prescriptions at a pharmacy owned by Kim. They would also use the bribes to get people to enroll at the adult day care centers despite having no real medical need…