Ambulance company faces Medicaid fraud trial

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - The owner of a private ambulance company will stand trial in federal court Monday on charges that he filed $1.6 million in fraudulent Medicaid claims, including submitting forms for dead Washingtonians.

Akiuber Ndoromo James, owner of Voice of Social Concern Association in Washington, a nonprofit ambulance company that James ran out of his home in the 3600 block of 16th Street Northwest, has been charged with health care fraud, wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements.

Investigators reviewed 15 of the most frequently used Medicaid patient numbers and found that three of the patients were dead during the time they were allegedly transported, according to documents filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

Eleven patients said they had not received the claimed services, according to documents. In some cases, the patients said they had never used James’ transportation company and never given him their Medicaid numbers. Between 2002 and 2004, D.C. Medicaid paid James about $1.6 million, making his company the highest-paid provider of medical transportation services in the District.

The Medicaid system is set up to evenly divide the trips between D.C. companies so that one company doesn’t earn significantly more than any other. But James received $1 million more than the next-highest company. Medicaid is a federal and state-funded health program for the poor.

smccabe@dcexaminer.com

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