Worcester transportation firm and owner indicted for alleged $3M MassHealth scheme and abusing patients
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Worcester District Court
A Worcester-based non-emergency medical transportation company and its owner have been indicted for alleged patient abuse and participating in a MassHealth fraud scheme resulting in millions of dollars worth of false claims.
Following allegations brought forward by the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, a statewide grand jury indicted 36-year-old Worcester resident Ardit Islamaj and his business Instant Transportation for allegedly laundering funds obtained by submitting more than $3 million in false claims to MassHealth and its subcontractors for transportation services never provided.
Islamaj could not be reached for comment.
The AGO asserts between August 2018 and August 2023, Islamaj billed for rides including those with no corresponding medical visits, rides for patients that were deceased or hospitalized at the time, and rides for patients who had canceled their trips, according to a Tuesday press release from the AGO.
Furthermore, charges have been against Islamaj and Instant Transportation for abuse and neglect of Masshealth pateints by allegedly allowing illicit drug use and sales to take place during medical transportation, knowingly hiring drivers who had been accused of sexual assault by patients, and by neglecting to transport wheelchair patients in wheelchair-accessible vans..
Islamaj and Instant Transportation have been charged with 17 total counts, including indictments of medicaid false claims; larceny over $1,200; patient abuse and neglect; identity fraud; money laundering; and witness intimidation.
These most recent AGO allegations come after a Leominster woman was incited Monday for allegedly posing and stealing at least $28,000 from elderly victims.
Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.
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