A New York woman has been sentenced to 54 months in prison for her leadership role in the commission of a home health and personal care services scheme that defrauded Medicaid of more than $100 million.
Marianna Levin, 49, of Brooklyn, also was ordered to forfeit $1,496,000 and pay restitution of $36,328,183, a news release said. Levin was sentenced Feb. 1 after pleading guilty to wire fraud June 1, 2022.
“For years, Marianna Levin, the owner of a Brooklyn-based home health agency, defrauded taxpayers through a massive, fraudulent home health scheme,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in the release. “As part of the scheme, Levin billed tens of millions of dollars to Medicaid for home health services that were not actually rendered. As a result, the scheme diverted much-needed resources meant to support services for vulnerable individuals. Today’s sentence sends a message that those who engage in health care fraud schemes will face stiff penalties.”
During the scheme, which began approximately in 2015, Levin was a senior executive for a licensed home care service agency in Brooklyn and owner of a second licensed home care service agency in Brooklyn, the release reported. The two agencies claimed to provide home health and personal care services to people in New York City’s five boroughs and Nassau County. They employed approximately 3,000 home health and personal care aides, most of whom were licensed.
“From in or about 2015 to in or about December 2020, Medicaid reimbursed the agencies hundreds of millions of dollars for home health and personal care services,” the release said. “A significant portion of the agencies’ billings were fraudulent. In particular, the agencies billed Medicaid for ‘no-show’ cases in which aides claimed to be performing home health or personal care services when they were not.”
Wages obtained fraudulently were often split between the no-show aide and the no-show patient, the release said. Kickbacks were paid to conspirators referring no-show cases to the aides.
“Levin and her co-conspirators also engaged in other fraudulent activity to boost the agencies’ billing and increase the amount of money paid out to the agencies,” the release said. “Over the course of the scheme, Levin received more than $5 million in compensation from the agencies.”
In order to promote, preserve or restore health or to decrease the impact of illness and disability, home care is a medical treatment that is given to the patient in their home, the release reported. Home care comprises personal care services such as housekeeping, meal preparation, bathing, toileting and grooming that are managed by aides.
