| TRENTON – Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced that two former employees of a home health agency were charged today in separate indictments for allegedly causing bills to be submitted to the Medicaid program for services that were never provided.
Both of the defendants were certified homemaker home health aides at Confident Care Corporation, a company that is headquartered in Hackensack and has ten satellite offices throughout New Jersey, as well as offices in Florida.
Anatoli Rountsev, 52, of Totowa, was charged with 43 counts of second-degree health care claims fraud, one count of third-degree Medicaid fraud and one count of third-degree theft by deception.
The state grand jury indictment alleges that between January 2008 and June 2009, Rountsev caused 463 false claims to be submitted to Medicaid for services that he did not provide. Rountsev allegedly failed to provide home health aide services for Medicaid beneficiaries on hundreds of claims since he was actually at another, unrelated job, and therefore unable to have performed any of the services. The investigation determined that, as a result of this fraud, Medicaid paid out $12,598.
Naum Lavnevich, 56, of Oakland, was charged in a separate indictment with 154 counts of second-degree health care claims fraud, one count of third-degree Medicaid fraud and one count of third-degree theft by deception.
The state grand jury indictment against Lavenich alleges that between January 2008 and October 2010, the defendant caused 178 claims to be submitted to Medicaid for services that were not provided. As a result of the fraud, Medicaid paid out $5,614. An investigation determined that in many of the instances in which Lavnevich was purportedly providing services to Medicaid beneficiaries, he was at another, unrelated job, and on multiple occasions, even out of the country, and therefore unable to have performed the services.
Deputy Attorney Jordan Mamorsky presented the case to the state grand jury. Detective Kylie Mattis and Analyst B’leia Williams coordinated the investigation.
Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Ronald Chillemi noted that the indictments are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Second-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in state prison and a criminal fine of up to $150,000 while third-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence of five years in state prison and a criminal fine of up to $15,000. #### |
