U.S. DISTRICT COURT/ST. CLAIR CO., Ill.—Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on April 1, 2014, Darron A. Suggs, 39, of Washington Park, Illinois, was sentenced on the one-count indictment charging that he engaged in a scheme to commit health care fraud in the United States District Court in East St. Louis, Illinois. The district court sentenced Suggs to serve five (5) years of probation. The district court also ordered Suggs to pay $64,867.00 in restitution to the Illinois Department of Human Services and pay a special assessment of $100.00.
Suggs admitted that he had submitted false and fraudulent bills in relation to his alleged performance of personal assistant services in the Home Services Program, a Medicaid Waiver Program designed to allow individuals to stay in their homes instead of entering a nursing home.
Suggs admitted to falsely billing the program between June 30, 2006 and April 16, 2013, when he purportedly rendered personal assistant services to two individuals when he, in fact, did not. As a result, Suggs stole $64,867.00 in payments for services not performed. The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services -Office of Inspector General and the Illinois State Police – Medicaid Fraud Control Bureau. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Liam 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 you may call 800.447.8477.