Feds paid over $2 million to Prince Georges con-man before he was caught

The conspirators typically operated under a particular business name for six to 12 months until the business was either disqualified from the FedBid marketplace or burdened with lawsuits or liens. The conspirators then continued the scheme under a newly-registered business name. The conspirators initially used their true names and addresses to register their businesses, but later attempted to conceal their true identities by using aliases.

From December 2007 to March 2013, Johnson and co-conspirator Larayne Whitehead received at least 144 bank deposits from governmental agencies totaling approximately $2,321,058.95 of which $426,376.99 was reasonably foreseeable to Johnson. The scheme involved between 10 and 50 business victims.

Larayne Whitehead, age 35, also of Clinton, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to her participation in the conspiracy and has agreed to forfeit $2,393,579 and a car. Whitehead is scheduled to be sentenced on August 18, 2014.

Dr. of Quackology from Faker State: x-ray tech posed as Doc and bogus billed for health care

X-Ray Technician Who Became Company’s Vice President Pleads Guilty to Health Care Fraud
Performed and Interpreted X-Rays and Other Tests in Lieu of Qualified Physicians and Radiologists in Scheme Involving More Than $2.5 Million in Medicare Losses

BALTIMORE, MD—Timothy Emeigh, age 50, of York Springs, Pennsylvania pleaded guilty today to health care fraud arising from a scheme in which insurance providers and Medicare were fraudulently billed for tests interpreted by unlicensed personnel, and for tests and services which in fact had not been provided.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Nicholas DiGiulio, Office of Investigations, Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services; and Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to his plea agreement, Emeigh was a licensed x-ray technologist in Maryland. Emeigh was not a licensed physician. Emeigh worked at Alpha Diagnostics Services beginning in 1993 as an x-ray technologist. In 1997, he was named vice president of the company’s operations.

Alpha Diagnostics was principally a portable x-ray supplier in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Virginia. However, Alpha Diagnostics also supplied or provided portable ultrasound tests, electrocardiograms (“EKGs”), echocardiograms and Holter monitors. The majority of its clients were nursing homes, whose patients Alpha Diagnostics tested. Alpha Diagnostics was headquartered in Owings Mills, Maryland with an office in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Alpha Diagnostics was enrolled in the Medicare program. Medicare required that a licensed physician order and interpret the x-ray or other test, and render a formal report.

THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY now on newsstands from Glen Burnie to Ocean City

The monthly print edition of THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY can now be found on newsstands all over Maryland. Reaching far beyond the Southern Maryland region, look for THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY in major stores in Prince Georges County, Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County, Queen Anne County, Talbot County, Worcester and Wicomico on Maryland’s Eastern Shore as well as in Delaware. The print edition will soon be distributed in Northern Neck Virginia as well. Advertisers may reach Larry Jarboe at 240-298-5253 or Ken Rossignol at 301-535-8624.

Money forfeited by con-man George Wells turned over to charity

“This investigation is a perfect example of the effectiveness of partnerships. From the original complaints received from the community to intelligence gathered by patrol deputies and the guidance provided from the State’s Attorney’s Office in conjunction with a thorough and detailed investigation. It was a very good day for all of us to be able to expose Wells and his illegal scheme and give this money to the rightful owner. This should send a clear message to anyone who thinks they will use a charitable organization as a front for illegal activity,” — Captain Dan Alioto.

“This case was never about card games as much as it was about the defendant raising donations on behalf of a simple charity and then putting all the money into his pocket. We are proud to have helped the Sheriff’s team return these funds to their rightful owner – decent hardworking people at TPR,” — ASA Daniel White.

St. Mary’s Deputy shooting at fleeing criminal on highway collected big bucks on paid vacation

Pay roll records provided in a public information request to THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY by the St. Mary’s Sheriff’s Department revealed that Deputy Philip Joseph was punished for firing his gun at a fleeing criminal who was driving on Rt. 5 in Charlotte Hall.

The punishment? Deputy Joseph was ordered to sit around in an administrative leave status, at full pay, the Sheriff’s Department conducted an “investigation”. In the process, Dep. Joseph collected $32,496 in paid administrative leave, for doing absolutely nothing. No work, no light duty, not fired, just an extensive and expensive vacation, courtesy of the taxpayers. The total pay for Dep. Joseph in the 2013 fiscal year was $99,235 with $6,150 in overtime as well.

St. Mary’s County officials exposed Social Security numbers for all employees of Sheriff

As St. Mary’s Sheriff Tim Cameron is a state official, indeed a constitutional officer of the state, his staff of clerks and cops are considered county employees and the agency is required by law to be funded by the county commissioners. Therefore, compliance with the state law requiring disclosure of public information to the public could be considered to have to adhere to Executive Orders of the Governor.

Of course, had St. Mary’s County’s Finance Director, Elaine Kramer or County Attorney George Sparling felt compelled to verify the data provided in the Public Information Request, they might have spotted the illegal distribution of employee Social Security numbers to the public. An electronic distribution, as requested for fiscal year 2011, was simple and but four columns, without intricate records of sick leave, annual leave, contributions to pension and FOP dues, worker’s compensation, Medicare contributions and so on.

St. Mary’s County is not the only government entity that makes illegal dumps of social security numbers. The Internal Revenue Service, indeed the very agency caught up in the scandal over illegally auditing conservative groups, the Office of Tax Exempt Organizations, reportedly did an electronic dump of over 100,000 social security numbers in a public information request to PublicResource.org. as reported in Human Events in 2013

EPA wants to regulate ponds, ditches and rainwater in low spots on farms; fear the bureaucrat!

The “Waters of the U.S.” proposed rule lets the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulate small ponds, ditches, rainwater flowing through low spots and isolated wet spots – the same as if they were a river or other navigable waterways.

This proposal will be a serious threat to farming and ranching, homebuilding, energy production and other land uses.

Taxpayers picked up tab for elected school board members to chow down at fancy seafood house at resort

In Oct. 2013, members Chris Barclay, Shirley Brandman, Phil Kauffman, Justin Kim, Pat O’Neill, and Rebecca Smondrowski enjoyed a gourmet dinner with Superintendent Joshua Starr, BOE chief of staff Roland Ikheloa, and staff assistant Laura Steinberg. The meal was at Fager’s Island restaurant during the annual Maryland Association of Boards of Education (MABE) conference in Ocean City. An itemized bill obtained by ABC7 lists $15 seafood appetizers, and lavish entrees like the $42 surf and turf, $39 lobster tail and $33 sea bass. The entire dinner-for-nine cost taxpayers $509.

“These are dollars that Montgomery County teachers desperately need for supplies, textbooks and resources, and you’re buying the appetizer and the lobster,” Janis Sartucci, a leading member of the Parents’ Coalition of Montgomery County, remarked.

Grocery salesman pleads guilty to defrauding wholesaler SuperValu but U. S. Attorney keeps name of president of grocery chain involved a secret…for now

Palmer faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on October 2, 2014, by Senior United States District Judge Robert E. Payne. In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Palmer admitted that from 2009 through 2013, he conspired with an unindicted co-conspirator, the President of an unnamed grocery retail chain, to submit fraudulent documents to The Kellogg Company and SuperValu, a grocery wholesaler through which Kellogg sold product to retailers. SuperValu awarded the grocery retail chain approximately $1.8 million in deductions against its running account with SuperValu as a result of the fraudulent submissions. Kellogg reimbursed SuperValu for the awarded deductions.