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For
Immediate Release: |
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For
Further Information Contact: |
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April
15, 2005 |
Office
of The Attorney General
-
Peter C. Harvey,
Attorney General
Division
Of Criminal Justice
- Vaughn L. McKoy, Director
Office of the Insurance
Fraud Prosecutor
- Greta Gooden Brown, Insurance
Fraud Prosecutor
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John
R. Hagerty
609-984-1936
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Passaic
County Electrologist Found Guilty of Charges
Related to $900,000 Insurance Fraud |
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TRENTON
- Attorney General Peter C. Harvey announced
that a Passaic County electrologist has
been convicted on charges of attempting
to bilk New Jersey insurance companies
out of more than $900,000 in reimbursement
payments by billing common electrolysis
as a medically necessary cosmetic procedure
- a procedure the electrologist was unable
to perform.
According to Vaughn L. McKoy, Director,
Division of Criminal Justice and Insurance
Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden-Brown, Florence
Acquaire, 63, Pike Drive, Wayne, was convicted
on April 14 by Passaic County Superior
Court Judge Randolph M. Subryan following
a 10-day bench trial. Acquaire operated
the High Mountain Medical Center, 342
Hamburg Pike in Wayne. Acquaire was convicted
of Health Care Claims Fraud, theft by
deception, and attempted theft by deception.
Acquaire could be sentenced to more than
ten years in state prison, fined over
$150,000, and ordered to pay civil insurance
fraud fines pursuant to the civil Insurance
Fraud Prevention Act. Sentencing is scheduled
for June 24.
In finding Acquaire guilty, Judge Subryan
determined that from July 25, 1998 through
April 12, 2001, Acquaire submitted dozens
of fraudulent health insurance claims
seeking more than $908,843 in reimbursement
payments from the United Health Group
Insurance Company and the Aetna Insurance
Company. The Aetna Insurance Company was
billed $843,797, while United Health Group
Insurance Company was billed $38,120.
A six-count State Grand Jury indictment
returned on Oct. 30, 2003, alleged that
Acquaire fraudulently billed electrolysis
as a surgical debridement procedure -
a medically necessary procedure which
involves the surgical excision of dead
skin and which must be performed by a
doctor or other licensed medical service
provider. Acquaire is not a licensed medical
service provider and was, therefore, not
qualified to perform debridement or other
surgical procedures and was ineligible
to bill insurance companies the higher
cost of the surgical procedure.
The investigation and prosecution was
conducted by the Division
of Criminal Justice - Office
of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor
which investigates and prosecutes civil
and criminal insurance fraud cases. State
Investigators Joseph Luccarelli, Ronald
Williams and Christina Fiscella, along
with Civil Investigators George Douglas
and Andre Mitchell conduced the investigation.
Deputy Attorney’s General Jacqueline
D. Smith and Richard Queen coordinated
the prosecution. Also assisting in the
investigation were Christopher Trovato
of the Special Investigations Unit of
Aetna Insurance Company, John Rowe, an
Investigator for United Health Group Insurance
Company, and Lucy P. Brown of the Oxford
Insurance Company.
#
# #
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