A federal jury convicted an Illinois woman for conspiring to defraud Medicare of over $6 million. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Rhonda Sutton, 58, of Matteson, worked as an unlicensed medical assistant for a physician in Chicago and surrounding areas from at least 2009 until at least 2012. In this position, Sutton conspired with others, including the owners of two home healthcare companies, to fraudulently certify Medicare beneficiaries for home health services for which those beneficiaries did not qualify. Specifically, Sutton forged her physician employer’s signature on certification forms and supporting documentation, which caused Medicare beneficiaries to be enrolled in over 2,000 episodes of home healthcare at A&Z and Dominion home health agencies, both located in Lansing, Illinois. Sutton provided the forged physician forms to A&Z and Dominion, which enabled A&Z and Dominion to submit claims to Medicare for services that the beneficiaries did not need and were not qualified to receive. The owners of A&Z and Dominion paid Sutton kickbacks in exchange for the forged physician forms. A&Z and Dominion received over $6 million from Medicare due to Sutton’s fraudulent conduct.
