New Orleans Nurse Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Receive Illegal Kickbacks

U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that SHEILA HOPKINS, age 63, of New Orleans, pled guilty today to one count of conspiracy to receive illegal kickbacks.

On March 12, 2015, HOPKINS was indicted along with 19 other defendants in a 26-count Indictment charging approximately $30,052,295 in Medicare fraud and the BP fraud.

HOPKINS was a Registered Nurse (RN) at Abide Home Care Services, a home health company operated by owner Lisa Crinel. HOPKINS and other nurses, aides, recruiters and marketers were paid about $150 - $300 for each referral of a Medicare beneficiary to Abide. Abide then fraudulently billed Medicare for medically unnecessary home health services. HOPKINS admitted to receiving a $400 payment for her referral of a Medicare beneficiary to Abide.

HOPKINS faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release following imprisonment. U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan set sentencing for February 1, 2017.

U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrice Harris Sullivan, Sharan Lieberman, Hayden Brockett and Andre Lagarde are in charge of the prosecution.