A Florida man admitted to his involvement in a multimillion-dollar durable medical equipment (DME) kickback scheme after previously pleading guilty to carrying out a COVID-19 fraud scheme and being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.
Kareem Memon, 34, of Coral Springs, Florida, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to violate the federal Anti-Kickback Statute.
Read: Florida Rep. Byron Donalds Says Black Americans Suffer Under Biden’s Open Border
According to documents filed in the health care fraud case and statements made in court, Memon and his conspirators owned and operated marketing call centers and telemedicine companies through which they obtained doctors’ orders for DME for Medicare beneficiaries without regard to medical necessity.
Memon and his conspirators provided doctors’ orders in exchange for bribes from DME companies that provided the braces to Medicare beneficiaries. Memon and his conspirators caused losses to Medicare in excess of $11 million.
On Sept. 21, 2023, Memon pled guilty to wire fraud, money laundering, and felon in possession charges in a separate case.
Read: Parents Of OnlyFans Model In Florida Arrested In Texas For Tampering With Murder Evidence
According to documents in the wire fraud case and statements made in court, Memon submitted fraudulent loan applications seeking more than $451,000 in forgivable Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and used those funds for personal gains.
At the time of Memon’s arrest he was a convicted felon and illegally possessed 12 firearms and ammunition.
Memon is scheduled to be sentenced in the two cases on March 26, 2024. The healthcare fraud conspiracy charge is punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison, and the kickback conspiracy charge is punishable by a maximum of five years in prison.
Read: California Man Who Murdered His Girlfriend In 2021, Found Working At Missouri Hospital
The wire fraud charge is punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison, the money laundering charge is punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison, and the felon in possession charge is punishable by a maximum of 15 years in prison. The charges are also punishable by a fine.
Android Users, Click To Download The Tampa Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. Follow Us On Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for our free newsletter.