Pair plead guilty to paying, receiving health care kickbacks
Two more individuals have pleaded guilty to conspiring to pay and receive kickbacks in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute.
Kimberly Willette, 59, of Friendswood, Texas, and Edwin Chad Isbell, 48, of McKinney, Texas, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit illegal remunerations on Jan. 25, 2021 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Caroline Craven.
Nicolas Arroyo of Newport Coast, California, previously pleaded guilty for his involvement in the conspiracy.
“Kickback schemes are anti-competitive, lead to overutilization and higher program costs, and prioritize profits over patient care,” said Acting United States Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. “The payment and receipt of kickbacks related to federal health care programs will not be tolerated in the Eastern District of Texas.”
According to information presented in court, the defendants conspired with others to pay and receive kickbacks in exchange for the referral of, and arranging for, health care business, specifically pharmacogenetic (PGx) tests. Pharmacogenetic testing, also known as pharmacogenomic testing, is a type of genetic testing that identifies genetic variations that effect how an individual patient metabolizes certain drugs. The illegal arrangement concerned the referral of PGx tests to clinical laboratories in Fountain Valley, California, Irvine, California, and San Diego, California. More than $28 million in illegal kickback payments were exchanged by the defendants and others during the conspiracy.
Read more: https://www.heralddemocrat.com/story/news/2021/01/29/pair-plead-guilty-paying-receiving-health-care-kickbacks/4310295001/
(Sherman Herald Democrat)
