(COLUMBUS, Ohio) -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced today that the husband and wife owners of a medical transportation company must repay more than a half a million in Medicaid dollars that the couple improperly collected.
Awad Hassan, 57, and Raghida Halaoui, 56, of Healthcare Transportation in Reynoldsburg, each pleaded guilty to one count of Medicaid Fraud by way of a bill of information in August.
During a hearing in Franklin County Common Pleas Court yesterday, visiting Judge Nodine Miller sentenced Hassan to serve three years in prison and Halaoui to serve a three year suspended sentence. Both were ordered to jointly and severally repay the state and federal government $791,000.
"This couple thought that they were successfully scheming the system, but there are checks and balances in place to catch this kind of fraud," said Attorney General DeWine. "We will not tolerate those who exploit the healthcare system."
The convictions follow an investigation by the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit that found that the couple billed Medicaid for ambulette services that Hassan was not legally allowed to provide due to a previous conviction. In 2010, Hassan was convicted of theft from the Medicaid system, which led to his exclusion from future participation in federally funded healthcare programs.
Despite his exclusion, investigators found that Hassan continued to operate the company with Halaoui, who took over the business following Hassan's 2010 conviction. The pair were also accused of billing for wheelchair transportation services that were not actually provided.
The Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is responsible for the investigation and prosecution of health care providers accused of defrauding the state's Medicaid program. In fiscal year 2014, investigations conducted by the unit led to 127 convictions, 31 settlements, and $70,996,617 in recoveries.
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