A nonprofit based in Springfield, Mo., has been ordered to pay more than $8 million in restitution and forfeiture to the federal government and the state of Arkansas as part of a non-prosecution deal announced by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Missouri.
Teresa Moore, a U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri, noted that Preferred Family Healthcare has been ordered to turn over the profits it made in a wide-reaching fraud and bribery scam, a recent U.S. District Court news release said.
"The public should not suffer or be responsible for individuals who abuse their leadership positions out of greed for personal financial gain," Charles Dayoub, special agent in charge for the FBI, said in the news release. "It is never acceptable to embezzle and misappropriate funds, especially those that directly impact our health care system. As today's announcement underscores, although the individuals directly involved are no longer with Preferred Family Healthcare, this organization is accepting responsibility for its employees' actions."
Several former officers of the company and employees are being prosecuted in separate cases for their alleged roles in the scheme, Moore said in the release. She also noted that the district court agreement holds the charity accountable for its actions as custodians of the charity, with millions being stolen and misused.
The scheme enabled employees to use the organization to line their pockets; Tyler Hatcher, special agent in charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation said in the release. Hatcher also noted the organization has acknowledged that its employees took part in an illegal scheme and that it would make things right by giving money back to the federal government and repaying money to the state of Arkansas.
