Tucson, Arizona - On May 15, 2019, Stephen Allen Lamont, 61, and Elvia Lorena Lamont, 51, were sentenced by Senior United States District Judge Cindy K. Jorgenson for their involvement in a Medicare fraud scheme. Lamont previously pled guilty to Health Care Fraud and his wife, Elvia Lamont, previously pled guilty to Misprision of a Felony.
Lamont received a sentence of 30 months in prison, and Elvia Lamont was sentenced to 13 months in prison.
From 2012 to 2015, the Lamonts owned and operated Ascension In Home Medical Care NP’s Group, Inc., a home health care business that provided services to the elderly. In his plea agreement, Lamont admitted that he knowingly submitted false claims for services to Medicare. Lamont fraudulently billed for services that were provided by nurses, medical assistants and a phlebotomist as if they had been performed by a medical doctor or nurse practitioner. Lamont also fraudulently billed at the highest complexity level in order to further pad the billings. On some occasions, Lamont forged the signature of a medical doctor or other Medicare-approved provider before the claims were submitted for reimbursement. Elvia Lamont admitted that she knowingly shared in the proceeds from the Medicare fraud scheme and concealed the scheme from authorities.
In addition to imprisonment, the Court ordered both defendants to pay $1,054,839 in restitution to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tucson.