Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Michael A. Morrison, 41, of Rockland, Maine, was charged by criminal complaint in U.S. District Court with health care fraud and embezzlement from a health care benefit program arising out of his employment at the Trade Winds Health, Swim and Tan Club (“Trade Winds") in Rockland.
According to court documents, from 2005 until July 2016, Morrison was the Executive Director of the health club at Trade Winds, which included a physical therapy business known as Coastal Physical Therapy. Between 2014 and 2016, Morrison allegedly submitted over $177,000 worth of fraudulent claims to Medicare, MaineCare, the Veterans Administration Fee Basis health care program, and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield by inflating the length of time procedures lasted, and by submitting claims for services not rendered or for services he rendered even though he was not a licensed Physical Therapist (PT) or a PT Assistant.
The complaint also alleged that from 2011 to 2016, Morrison embezzled over $70,000 from the health club by making unauthorized purchases for himself and his family using a business credit card and by stealing and cash from the business.
The defendant faces up to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on each count.
This case originated from a referral from the Rockland Police Department and the Maine Attorney General’s Healthcare Crimes Unit (“MeHCU") and was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS"), Office of Investigations, Office of Inspector General, with assistance from the MeHCU, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
