Cahokia Illinois Woman Pleads Guilty To Health Care Fraud

Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on September 10, 2013, Lisa C. Luckett, 50, of Cahokia, IL, pled guilty to a two-count indictment charging that she engaged in a scheme to commit health care fraud. At her sentencing Luckett will face up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $500,000, and up to 3 years of supervised release. Sentencing has been set for January 17, 2014, at 9:00 a.m. in United States District Court in East St. Louis, Illinois.

Luckett’s codefendant, Henry Billups, III, 49, of Cahokia, pled guilty to one count of engaging in the scheme to commit health care fraud on September 4, 2013. Billups faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to 3 years of supervised release. He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 14, 2014, at 9:00 a.m. in United States District Court in East St. Louis, Illinois.

During their plea hearings, Luckett and Billups both admitted that they had submitted or caused to be submitted, false fraudulent bills in regard to providing personal assistant services in the Home Services Program, a Medicaid Waiver Program. The program is designed to provide a disabled individual with assistance in performing daily living activities in the home in order to allow the person to stay at home instead of entering into a nursing home.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; Illinois State Police; and the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ranley R. Killian and William E. Coonan.

If you suspect or know of an individual or company that is not complying with healthcare laws or public aid programs, you may report this activity to the local office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General or call 1-800-447-8477.