U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron announced Tuesday that 46-year-old Julius Bakari of Silver Spring has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for conspiring to commit health care fraud.
Bakari was convicted for his involvement in a fraudulent billing scheme at Holy Health Care Services, LLC, a mental health services provider located in Washington, D.C.
According to a press release, Bakari owned and operated Holy Health, an authorized Medicaid provider, from 2015 to September 2021. The District of Columbia Department of Behavioral Services certified Holy Health to provide mental health services as a Free Standing Mental Health Clinic in 2015 and as a Mental Health and Rehabilitation Services (“MHRS”) provider in 2018.
As an MHRS provider, Holy Health was authorized to bill Medicaid for various mental health services, including “community support” services provided by community support workers (CSWs). To receive payment from Medicaid, Holy Health submitted claims for each patient visit with a CSW based on visit notes entered into an electronic healthcare system called the Integrated Care Management System (ICAMS).
According to Bakari’s guilty plea agreement, he and his co-conspirators engaged in a scheme where they paid bribes and kickbacks to Medicaid beneficiaries to induce them to visit Holy Health for mental health services. They then submitted claims to Medicaid for services, including community support services, purportedly provided to these beneficiaries procured through bribes and kickbacks.
Additionally, Bakari deliberately shielded himself from clear evidence that his co-conspirators entered false notes into ICAMS for services that were not rendered and were not provided as billed to Medicaid. Holy Health then billed Medicaid for visits that did not occur, often involving beneficiaries who had been recruited through kickbacks and bribes.
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered Bakari to pay restitution of $3,343,781, the amount of the loss, and serve three years of supervised release in addition to the three-year prison sentence.
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Holy Health Care Services, LLC Owner Sentenced to 3 Years In Federal Prison/ For Health Care Fraud Schemehttps://t.co/08Blhqmlaz
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