A Louisiana man has admitted to his involvement in a scheme that defrauded Medicare of millions. Michael L. Riggins, 62, from West Monroe, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. He was the owner of Bluewater Healthcare, a durable medical equipment (DME) supply company.
Riggins orchestrated a plan between 2018 and 2023 where he paid for unnecessary doctors' orders and misled physicians into signing DME orders and certificates of medical necessity. This allowed him to bill Medicare for expensive equipment that patients did not need. Despite numerous complaints about these fraudulent activities, Riggins submitted claims exceeding $3.8 million and received over $1.8 million in reimbursements.
Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced the plea, noting that Riggins is scheduled for sentencing on October 2, 2025. He faces up to ten years in prison as determined by a federal district court judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
The announcement was made by Matthew R. Galeotti from the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook; and Deputy Inspector General Christian J. Schrank from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Samantha Usher and Kelly Z. Walters from the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin McCoy for the Western District of Louisiana.
This investigation is part of broader efforts led by the Fraud Section's Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program which has charged over 5,800 defendants since its inception in March 2007 for billing more than $30 billion through fraudulent schemes targeting federal health care programs and private insurers.
More information about these efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
