Pastor, 2 others found guilty in Medicare fraud

With federal authorities closing in on his multimillion-dollar Medicare fraud ring, pastor Christopher Iruke allegedly hunkered down at his South L.A. storefront church with a congregant and shoved pages upon pages of incriminating evidence into a shredder until the machine overheated.

He then stuffed papers into the toilet and tried flushing his problems away, according to testimony at Iruke's federal fraud trial this month. The documents linked him to bogus prescriptions for power wheelchairs for which he billed the government about $6,000 apiece, prosecutors alleged.

On Tuesday, a jury found Iruke, his wife and an employee who worked for the couple guilty of healthcare fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud in a scheme that involved more than $14 million in illegitimate Medicare claims.

Authorities said Iruke and associates often supplied power wheelchairs to Medicare patients perfectly capable of walking on their own —including one who did jumping jacks to show agents he never needed one. Also among the patients Iruke and his associates filed reimbursement claims for were two people who were deceased, according to court papers.

http://www.latimes.com/health/la-me-fraud-20110811,0,3947913.story

Stop the fraud.

I worked for a dentist that would charge double the prices for his patients getting their services from the government..... he got caught and lost his license to practice for 10 years. I was no longer working for him, but THEY ALL CHEAT THE GOVERNMENT.

felons. Take note Teabaggers who want to skeletonize the US government.