New Orleans Man Arrested for Health Care Fraud

February 12, 2010 - NEW ORLEANS, LA—LIONEL PERKINS, JR., age 58, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana was arrested yesterday pursuant to a criminal complaint charging him with committing health care fraud, announced U. S. Attorney Jim Letten.

According to the complaint, PERKINS used the identity of his deceased brother to obtain a new Social Security number. He then used his brother’s identity, along with the Social Security Number to obtain Medicaid benefits. The complaint states that on multiple occasions since December 2009, PERKINS caused a bill of service to be submitted to Medicaid for goods, services, and care he received while using his brother’s identity and the new Social Security Number, including at pharmacies in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Jefferson, Louisiana. The complaint further alleges that PERKINS contacted a Medicaid analyst by telephone and requested to be recertified for Medicaid benefits, in the name of his deceased brother, within the past several days.

Currently, PERKINS has other charges pending against him in Case Number 09-178 in the Eastern District of Louisiana for defrauding the federal government out of more than $300,000 in Hurricane Katrina-related funds as well as Social Security fraud.

If convicted of the new charge, PERKINS faces a possible maximum term of imprisonment of ten (10) years, a fine of $250,000.00 and three (3) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.

U. S. Attorney Letten reiterated that the complaint is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was investigated by Special Agents of the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, Special Agents of the U. S. Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorneys Jordan Ginsberg and Matthew Chester.