Akinsunbo Akinbile, 44, the owner of a Houston, Texas, healthcare company pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Keith P. Ellison in Houston to eight counts of healthcare fraud. in connection with a Medicare fraud scheme involving durable medical equipment (DME). The plea was announced by the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Akinbile admitted that he was the owner and operator of Hallco Medical Supply, a company that purported to provide DME to Medicare beneficiaries. According to court documents, Hallco submitted claims to Medicare for DME, including orthotic devices, which were medically unnecessary and/or never provided. Many of the orthotic devices were components of “arthritis kits,” and purported to be for the treatment of arthritis-related conditions. The arthritis kits generally contained a number of devices including braces and related accessories.
From June 2007 through May 2009, Hallco submitted approximately $737,770 in fraudulent claims to Medicare.
At sentencing, scheduled for February 15, 2012, Akinbile faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison.
The case was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas and the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
