Speech Therapist and Office Manager Sentenced for Health Care Fraud

HOUSTON – A Houston speech therapist who owned a clinic in Sugar Land has been ordered to federal prison for 151 months following her conviction related to a health care fraud scheme that billed Tricare and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas more than $3.8 million, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Rebecca Lee Rabon, 44, pleaded guilty March 20, 2015. Co-defendant and office manager Tiffany Nicole Thompson, 32, of Katy, also pleaded guilty for her role in the scheme and was sentenced to serve 51 months.

After a lengthy sentencing hearing today, U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon found that Rabon, the owner of Rabon Communication Enhancement (RCE) had not only committed the health care fraud she was charged with in January of 2014, but that she had also violated a magistrate judge’s pre-trial bond order that she not submit any more health care claims pending resolution of the matter. Judge Harmon heard testimony about the defendant’s role in the crime, and the prosecution read from an email written by Rabon that stated “risking going to jail if I get caught is worth” [it]. The prosecutor also read from a letter submitted by one of Rabon’s employees who was also a victim of the fraud. The employee wrote that she was shocked to learn the defendants had submitted fraudulent claims for children treated at RCE and “more shocked” to learn that Rabon and Thompson had submitted fraudulent claims under her private medical insurance for her as well as forged her signature on a letter directing Blue Cross and Blue Shield to send her explanation of benefits statement to Rabon’s home. Judge Harmon considered the fact that the health care fraud affected Tricare, a government health insurance program, and that it took place over an extended period of time - between January 2009 and November 2011 - in arriving at her sentence. The defendants submitted at least $3.8 million in fraudulent claims to Tricare and Blue Cross and Blue Shield during the conspiracy and received $1.2 million in payments.

Both defendants must also serve respective three-year-terms of supervised release following completion of their sentences and were further ordered to pay $1.2 million in restitution to Tricare, Blue Cross and Blue Shield and United Health Insurance. As a result of her conviction, Rabon forfeited her house on Sept. 25, 2015.

At the time of their respective pleas, Rabon and Thompson admitted they conspired together to submit claims to insurance providers for services that were not medically necessary and not provided. Between March 29, 2009, and Nov. 11, 2013, the clinic did not have the equipment or supplies to provide treatment for dysphagia - a swallowing and oral feeding dysfunction. Neither Rabon, nor any speech therapist employed at RCE, provided any of those treatments to children at the clinic. Both also admitted to submitting thousands in false and fraudulent claims for themselves and three unsuspecting RCE employees for various medical and speech therapy services that were not provided. As part of their scheme, they also sent a forged letter to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas with a false address for an employee to prevent them from discovering the fraud.

Rabon has been in custody since Jan. 23, 2015, for violating the terms of her pre-trial release where she will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Thompson was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender at a later date.

The investigation into Rabon and Thompson was the result of an investigation conducted by agents from the Department of Defense - Criminal Investigative Service with assistance of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas – Special Investigations Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Redlinger is prosecuting the case.