Nurse Practitioner Pleads Guilty To $7.8M Telemedicine Fraud Scheme
A Virginia-based nurse practitioner, Daphne Jenkins, pleaded guilty in federal court for her role in a multi-million dollar telemedicine fraud scheme that defrauded Medicare of $7.8 million over four years. According to the Department of Justice, between December 2018 and April 2020, Jenkins conspired with others to defraud Medicare by ordering unnecessary durable medical equipment for Medicare beneficiaries she had never examined or even spoken with.
About The Illegal Operation
The scheme involved recruiting Medicare beneficiaries to receive medical equipment they did not need. Jenkins lacked any medical association with the beneficiaries and routinely endorsed these orders without reviewing them. Subsequently, the telemarketing company proceeded to sell these orders to DME suppliers and laboratories, which then filed claims with Medicare. Due to Jenkins' involvement in this scheme, Medicare received over $7.8 million in claims for medically unnecessary DME, supported by falsified documentation and influenced by kickbacks.
According to court documents, Jenkins was paid to order this unnecessary equipment for patients she had no relationship or contact with, in clear violation of Medicare rules and regulations.
The Penalty
Jenkins now faces up to 10 years in prison up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Her sentencing is scheduled for April 10, 2024.
