United States Attorney Richard B. Roper
Northern District of Texas

MEDICAL EQUIPMENT SUPPLIERS SENTENCED
TO FEDERAL PRISON FOR HEALTH CARE FRAUD

DALLAS — Grand Prairie, Texas, resident, Friday Udo Johnny, the owner of Metropolitan Home Medical Equipment, and Emmanuel “Bob” Edet, of Mesquite, Texas, the owner of Medcare Supplies, were sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas. Johnny was sentenced to 37 months in prison and was ordered to pay $458,541.67 in restitution to the Medicare program. Edet was sentenced to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $446,404.95 restitution.

In September, Johnny pled guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and pay illegal remunerations. In October, his co-defendant Edet pled guilty to the same offense. As part of their guilty pleas, Johnny and Edet admitted to conspiring with others to pay illegal kickbacks to Lloyd McGriff, M.D., a physician in Dallas. Dr. McGriff is currently serving a 16-month federal prison sentence for his role in a similar conspiracy to defraud Medicare.

Johnny and Edet admitted that from September 2002 through August 2003, they intentionally caused, and participated in the submission of fraudulent claims to Medicare for payment of power wheelchairs and accessories. Johnny and Edet admitted that they paid $200 for each Certificate of Medical Necessity (CMN) that Dr. McGriff provided to their companies. Dr. McGriff falsified each CMN to ensure that, if scrutinized, Medicare would allow payment for the medical equipment. Dr. McGriff executed 257 fraudulent CMN’s that allowed Johnny and Edet to bill the Medicare program for K0011 power wheelchairs and accessories. Over the 11- month period, Johnny and Edet submitted more than $1.7 million in claims to Medicare. Medicare paid both Johnny and Edet $904,946.62 based on the fraudulent CMNs and claims.

U.S. Attorney Roper praised the investigative efforts of Health and Human Services - Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and noted that this case is the latest conviction from Operation Rollover involving durable medical equipment (DME) fraud. Additional investigations remain ongoing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean R. McKenna prosecuted the case.

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