United States Attorney Richard B. Roper
Northern District of Texas

LOCAL HOME HEALTH CARE AGENCY OWNER PLEADS GUILTY
IN FEDERAL COURT - FACES UP TO 20 YEARS IN PRISON

DALLAS — The owner of a home health care agency, Irene Anderson, 45, of Wylie, Texas, pled guilty yesterday afternoon in federal court before U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle to one count of mail fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas. She faces a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. In addition, as part of the plea agreement, Anderson and the government have agreed to a restitution amount of $2,276.622.31. Anderson has agreed to forfeit a 2006 Hummer, a 2002 Suzuki and $8500 in cash that was found in her car when she was arrested on April 18, 2008, in Wylie, Texas. She has been in custody since her arrest.

According to documents filed in Court, since September 25, 2001 Anderson operated AG Total Care Home Health Services, Inc., also known as AG Total Care Home Health Services, Inc., in Dallas. She applied for and obtained a Medicare provider number for AG Total Care in February 2002 which was used to submit claims to Medicare and receive reimbursement for such claims.

In addition, since October 26, 2004, Anderson also owned and operated a second home health agency, New Dimension Healthcare Services in Sulphur Springs, Texas. Although Anderson was the true owner of New Dimension, she applied for an assumed name certificate for New Dimension from the Dallas County Clerk’s Office listing the name of the business as “Iya Edwards, dba New Dimension Healthcare Services” on the application. Anderson also misrepresented to New Dimension employees and others that “Iya Edwards” was the owner of New Dimension.

“Iya Edwards” was a completely fictitious identity created and used by Irene Anderson, for which Anderson obtained a Social Security Number and Texas Driver’s License, separate and distinct from her own driver’s license and Social Security Number. Federal agents determined that Irene Anderson and “Iya Edwards” were one and the same individual upon comparison of fingerprints taken from her on prior occasions using one identity or the other.

Beginning in February 2005 and continuing until May 2008, Anderson operated a scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Medicare by applying for and obtaining a Medicare provider number for her home health agency, New Dimension, falsely representing that New Dimension was owned by “Iya E. Edwards.”

Iya Edwards, dba New Dimension was issued a Medicare provider number by CMS Palmetta GBA in March 2005 and from approximately March 9, 2005 to April 21, 2008, Anderson billed Medicare for services using that number. Throughout this period, Anderson continued to falsely represent to Medicare that the owner of New Dimension was Iya Edwards rather than Anderson, causing Medicare to pay New Dimensions a total of $1,188,698.74 because of her scheme.

U.S. Attorney Roper praised the excellent investigative work of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Miller is prosecuting the case.

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