A 61-year-old dialysis patient is facing up to 20 years in federal prison and a $1 million fine after admitting last week to his participation in a Northeast ambulance company’s scheme to defraud the Medicare program.
William Connor, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty to receiving kickbacks from Brotherly Love Ambulance and to making false statements to agents investigating the company for Medicare fraud. Brotherly Love was based at 2200 Michener St.
Connor was a regular client of Brotherly Love, which opened for business in July 2010. He used the ambulance service for transportation to and from his dialysis appointments and accepted monthly payments from company officials in exchange for his continued use of the company, authorities said. In turn, Brotherly Love billed the Medicare program for Connor’s transportation. Problem was, Connor didn’t qualify for ambulance transportation under Medicare because he could have been transported safely by other means.
Medicare ultimately paid more than $55,000 to Brotherly Love for transporting Connor, who was one of the company’s many ineligible clients. All told, Brotherly Love illegally collected more than $2 million from Medicare.
When asked by investigators if he had received payments from the ambulance company, Connor falsely denied it, according to the U.S. Attorney.
Separately last week, a federal judge sentenced two ambulance company operators to years in prison for orchestrating a similar scheme involving Life Support Inc., based in Feasterville-Trevose.
Bogdan Kmet, the owner, was sentenced to 36 months behind bars while Rostislav Kmet, the manager, was sentenced to 46 months. Both had pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud and paying kickbacks to patients. A second owner, Nazariy Kmet, awaits sentencing.
Authorities did not disclose the family relationship of the three defendants. Rostislav Kmet is a Philadelphia resident, while the other two are Bucks County residents. The total fraud in that case exceeded $2 million. ••
