A Hunterdon County pediatrician is facing up to 10 years in prison for allegedly overbilling the federal Medicaid program by more than $73,000 during the course of more than three years, authorities said Friday.
Ibilola Ighama-Amegor, 51, of Hampton, was charged Thursday with 17 counts of second-degree health-care claims fraud and one count each of third-degree Medicaid fraud and third-degree theft by deception, according to New Jersey Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa.
http://liarcatchers.com/insurance_fraud.html
“This defendant allegedly billed as if she was working 24 hours a day,” acting state Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Ronald Chillemi said in a statement. “The Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor will continue to crack down on unscrupulous individuals who defraud the Medicaid program, which provides vital assistance to vulnerable New Jersey residents.”
Ibilola-Amegor is accused of overbilling Medicaid from her Newark-based practice, Quality Pediatrix, which investigators reportedly found to be open just seven hours per day, three days a week. Yet Ibilola-Amegor allegedly falsely billed for 24 hours or more of work on 17 days between Jan. 1, 2008, and May 16, 2011, authorities said.
In addition to up to 10 years in prison, Ibilola-Amegor is facing potential fines of $150,000 on each second-degree charge and $15,000 on each third-degree charge, according to the Attorney General’s office.
Ibilola-Amegor did not immediately return a phone call placed to her Newark offices Friday afternoon. Online listings for her practice indicate that she studied medicine at the University of Benin in Nigeria and has worked in the field of medicine for nearly 25 years
