MAUMEE – Acting U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler announced that a federal grand jury returned a six-count indictment charging Ankita Singh, 39, formerly of Maumee, with fraudulently billing Medicare $8.4 million.
According to the indictment, Singh was a state-licensed physician practicing in Maumee and Toledo. From June 2018 through May 2021, it is alleged that the Singh participated in a scheme to bill Medicare approximately $8.4 million in durable medical equipment, prosthetics/orthotics and supplies that were medically unnecessary.
As part of the scheme, it is alleged that telemarketers and call centers would contact or cold-call Medicare beneficiaries in an attempt to convince the beneficiaries to agree to receive DMEPOS, specifically braces, in the mail. The call center operators and telemarketers often told beneficiaries that the braces would be provided at no cost and that a doctor would be contacting them.
The indictment states that the call centers and telemarketers would then use general information about the beneficiary, including their name, Medicare number and purported diagnosis, to prepare DMEPOS order forms that certified that the equipment and supplies were medically necessary.
According to the indictment, Singh received these order forms and signed them, even though the defendant had never spoken to, examined, assessed or otherwise established a doctor-patient relationship with the beneficiary.
As a result, DMEPOS suppliers shipped the items listed on the order forms to the beneficiaries and submitted a corresponding claim to Medicare.
This case was investigated by the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the FBI. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jody L. King.
