Husband/Wife Owners of N.J. Transportation Service Sentenced in Scam

New Jersey Attorney General Peter Harvey announced that a Burlington County husband and wife have been sentenced to jail and restitution respectively for over billing the Medicaid Program more than $22,000 for services related to transporting Medicaid patients by their Camden County medical transport business.

According to Vaughn McKoy, director, Division of Criminal Justice and Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden-Brown, Harvey Lee Bellamy, Jr., 41, of Mt. Holly, Burlington County, was sentenced to three years in state prison. Bellamy’s wife, Bernice Bellamy, 47, also of Mt. Holly, was sentenced to five years probation. Both defendants were ordered to pay restitution (to be determined by the Court) and were debarred from participating in the Medicaid Program for at least five years.

Gooden Brown noted that the Bellamy’s were charged via a State Grand Jury indictment returned on Oct. 28, 2002. Harvey Bellamy pleaded guilty to Health Care Claims Fraud, while Bernice Bellamy pleaded guilty to Medicaid fraud. The indictment charged that Harvey Bellamy was the corporate president of H&B Medical Transportation Services, Inc., a mobility assistance patient transportation service located in Magnolia, Camden County. Bernice Bellamy was in charge of billing for H&B, which was also a licensed Medicaid provider eligible to receive reimbursement from the Medicaid Program for transportation services provided to Medicaid patients.

In pleading guilty before Camden County Superior Court Judge Irvin Snyder on April 16, the Bellamy’s reportedly admitted to Health Care Claims Fraud and Medicaid fraud by billing the Medicaid Program for the use of extra crew members who purportedly provided assistance to Medicaid recipients during the vehicle transports. Extra crew members had not been provided during the transports.

The indictment charged that the Bellamys Over billed Medicaid more than $22,800 for transportation services provided to at least 14 Medicaid patients.