Jacksonville Man Indicted in Healthcare Scam

United States Attorney Paul Perez announced the return of an indictment against Robert C. Brown of Jacksonville, 62, and Laurette C. Hunter formerly of Jacksonville, 41, charging them with conspiring to commit health care fraud, 12 counts of health care fraud, 12 counts of conspiring to make false statements in connection with a health care matter, and four counts of conspiring to commit mail fraud.

In addition Brown is charged with 10 counts of money laundering. The
maximum penalty on the conspiracy charge is five years’ imprisonment, each count of health care fraud carries a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment, each count of making a false statement carries a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment, each count of mail fraud carries a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, and the money laundering counts each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment.

Both were arrested recently and at their initial appearance in Jacksonville federal court, Magistrate Judge Monte Richardson released Hunter on $50,000 signature bond. Brown was released to the custody of a third party custodian, with home detention and electronic monitoring, with 10 per cent down on a $50,000 signature bond.

According to the indictment, Brown was the owner and acting administrator of RCB Inc. Medical Clinic, a local walk-in clinic in Jacksonville. Hunter worked at RCB as the office manager.

From March of 2002 until September of 2004, the indictment alleges, Brown and Hunter conspired to fraudulently bill private insurance companies for patient services never performed by RCB.

Many of the alleged patients were billed for services every day, for extended periods of time, for services ranging from injections to diagnostic tests when, in fact, the procedures were never performed by doctors at RCB.

The indictment against Brown and Hunter also alleges that Brown directed Hunter and another RCB employee to perform medical tests on themselves in order to create test result print-outs to support the false claim forms submitted to the private insurance companies. In total, the private insurance companies reimbursed RCB almost two million dollars for false claims.