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Jesse Lelievre, of North Andover, was sentenced to two years of supervised release and ordered to pay $179,090 in restitution after pleading guilty to theft of government property. In 2021, Lelievre applied for a pandemic relief loan with the Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program on behalf of his business, Paramount Plumbing & Heating LLC. Under the loan agreement, Lelievre agreed to use the funds solely as working capital for his business. After receiving the funds, he misappropriated approximately $179,000 for personal expenses, including buying a diamond ring and remodeling his home. The VA OIG, FBI, and Small Business Administration investigated this case.
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Adam Wayne Owens, of Riverside, California, pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute. From November 2018 to January 2020, Owens participated in a kickback and bribery scheme with testing companies that arranged for at-home cancer genetic tests. Owens owned and controlled marketing companies through which he and his conspirators identified Medicare beneficiaries to target for testing. Owens and his conspirators provided personal and medical information about the Medicare beneficiaries to the testing companies, which caused testing kits to be sent to the beneficiaries. Once the tests were completed and returned, Owens’ conspirators submitted claims for reimbursement to Medicare. Owens’ companies received kickback payments ranging from $1,700 to $2,000 for each test resulting in Medicare reimbursement. The VA OIG, FBI, and Department of Defense Criminal Investigative Service investigated this case. .
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Martin Elling, a former senior partner at McKinsey & Company, waived his right to indictment and pleaded guilty to one count of knowingly destroying records with the intent to impede, obstruct, and influence the investigation and proper administration of a matter within the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice. McKinsey & Company recently agreed to pay $650 million to resolve criminal and civil investigations into the firm’s consulting work with opioids manufacturers, including Purdue Pharma, LP. The VA OIG, Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, FBI, Department of Health and Human Services OIG, and Office of Personnel Management OIG investigated this case with assistance from the Department of Justice’s Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section.
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Kevin Paul McMains, of Milton, Florida, was sentenced to 33 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government money and two counts of making false statements to a federal agency. For nearly 14 years, McMains received over $779,000 in government disability benefits by providing false information to the VA. He submitted fraudulent documentation and made false statements to medical professionals, claiming that post-traumatic stress was affecting his life to the extent he was unable to work, do normal daily activities, or care for himself. In addition, he also falsely claimed he was awarded a Purple Heart as proof of his service-connected injuries. As a result of his fraud, McMains also qualified for and received Social Security disability benefits and Medicare coverage to which he would not have otherwise been entitled. The VA OIG, Social Security Administration OIG, and Department of Health and Human Services OIG investigated this case.
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