Owner Of Harrisburg Healthcare Services Firm Charged With Additional Offenses

     The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment yesterday charging Rose Umana, 47, Mechanicsburg, the owner and operator of Vision Healthcare Services, Inc., with additional health care fraud and money laundering offenses.

     According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, the superceding indictment charges Umana with health care fraud and money laundering in connection with operation of Vision Healthcare, 4113 Linglestown Road, Harrisburg. The new charges are in addition to 34 offenses brought in an indictment returned May 7. 

     The 36-count superseding indictment alleges that Umana created false identification documents and fictitious occupational licenses for workers not licensed at the level represented on the license and then submitted bills to Medicaid for medical services purportedly provided by the workers, billed Medicaid for services provided by someone other than the person claimed to be the provider, and billed Medicaid for services not provided or provided by someone not qualified to provide the service. 

     In addition, the grand jury charged that Umana laundered and concealed at least $291,000 in proceeds derived from this criminal activity.  The superseding indictment alleges that Umana conducted at least 32 monetary transactions totaling $673,733 with proceeds derived from the fraud in amounts greater than $10,000.  The superseding indictment also alleges that approximately $307,000 in three bank accounts held by Umana are forfeitable to the government.

     “Medicaid Home Care companies that steal our health benefits, and lie about their level of competence, drain programs of money and put patients at risk ” said Nick DiGiulio, Special Agent in Charge for the Inspector General’s Office of the United States Department of Health and Human Services in Philadelphia.  “We will continue to work energetically with our partners to investigate those that are accused of robbing health care dollars and mistreating Medicaid recipients.”

     Health care fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, false statements relating to health care matters carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years, money laundering  is punishable by up to 20 years’ imprisonment, conducting monetary transactions with criminal proceeds in excess of $10,000 is punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment, and identity theft carries a two-year mandatory minimum sentence that must be served consecutively to any other sentence.

     This case is part of a coordinated federal and state investigation involving the Office of Inspector General, Health and Human Services; Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations; and the Medicaid Fraud Control Section of the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General.  Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Albright of the State Attorney General’s Office and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy H. Fawcett are prosecuting the case.