As part of their guilty pleas, Carrothers and Garner each admitted that from June 2010 through April 2018, they conspired to defraud OWCP by falsely billing for 24-7 services purportedly provided by Garner to a single person. (Credit: Shutterstock)
Two women from Chicago have pleaded guilty for their roles in a scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Workers' Compensation Programs ("OWCP") of $1.7 million by falsely billing for services on a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week basis for over seven years.
Ella Garner pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud before U.S. District Judge Elaine Bucklu of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Chante Carrothers pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud for her role in the conspiracy.
Scheduled sentencing
Sentencing for Carrothers has been scheduled for August 16 and for Garner on September 6, both before Judge Bucklu.
As part of their guilty pleas, Carrothers and Garner each admitted that from June 2010 through April 2018, they conspired to defraud OWCP by falsely billing for 24-7 services purportedly provided by Garner to a single person. Garner was not, in fact, providing constant care, the defendants admitted.
The OWCP paid Carrothers approximately $1.7 million for the bills she submitted for the single patient who purportedly was under Garner's care. Carrothers paid Garner approximately $4,500 per month for her role in the conspiracy, the defendants admitted.
This article first appeared on Law.com, a sister publication of PropertyCasualty360.
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