Loading ...Local Family Charged with Defrauding Medicare
Three members of a Tampa Bay-area family have been indicted by a federal grand jury on Medicare fraud charges. The indictment alleges that Ben, Gregory and Tracey Bane used their businesses to defraud Medicare out of over $5 million.
Federal prosecutors accuse Ben Bane of Plant City and his son and daughter-in-law, Gregory and Tracey Bane of Valrico, of conspiring to submit false bills to Medicare through Bane Medical Services, their oxygen and medical equipment company as well as another company called Oxygen Respiratory Therapy Inc.
The Banes are accused of forging doctors’ signatures, falsifying test results to show that patients qualified for Medicare reimbursement for oxygen therapy and other services and submitting claims to Medicare for unnecessary or unperformed services.
The indictment indicates that Ben Bane owns the companies, that Gregory Bane was vice president of operations for both companies and that Tracey Bane was the billing supervisor for Bane Medical Services. They had offices in Plant City, St. Petersburg, Kissimmee and St. Cloud.
Court records say the conspiracy lasted from January 2001 through December 2004. The indictment named at least three other co-conspirators.
The defendants are specifically charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, health care fraud and making false or fraudulent claims. It is important to remember that these defendants are innocent until proven guilty, either at trial or by guilty plea.