Posts Tagged ‘ Medicare ’

Erectile Pump Scam Makes a Winner a Loser

November 21st, 2011. By AbiK

What would you call someone—within reason, of course—who runs a scam that allows him to buy cheap sex devices aimed at enhancing certain private parts, and then resells them to unwitting customers who’ve been diagnosed with bladder control or urinary flow issues, arthritis or diabetes—and then charges the hell out of Medicare for it?

Now, I know there are a few of you out there who are thinking—not out loud—”Ha! That’s genius!”

Most of us, however, would be thinking: low-life, good-for-nothing…LOSER.

Ironically, the idiot who masterminded this one is named Winner—Gary Winner. Can’t make this stuff up.

Winner it appears found some penis enlargers on an “adult” website and that must’ve been when his light-bulb moment occurred. No comment on just why Winner was scanning the, a-hem, self-help sections on sex toy websites—though my thoughts are rife with conjecture.

Regardless, according to a cbsnews.com report, Winner found a beauty of a device for $26 and he bought a whole bunch of them. He renamed them—after all, don’t want Medicare batting an eye with this one—”erectile pumps” and went as far as to repackage them (I have visions of him shrink-wrapping penis enlargers with a blow dryer—but perhaps I’m letting my imagination go too far here).

So Winner touted the would-be erectile pumps as being able to increase blood flow to the urinary tract and prostate with regular use. Uh-huh. I’m surprised he didn’t claim they cured Propecia E.D. as well…

But how’d he manage to bilk Medicare?

Obviously, in order to make the sales, Winner had to target Medicare beneficiaries and, lucky for him, he just happened to have access to such information via his medical device company, Planned Eldercare. Once he cajoled patients into providing their Medicare info by offering free medical equipment (swag for the ill!), he then turned around and billed Medicare $284 for each “pump”.

As Medicare coverage includes reimbursement for products treating organic impotence and erectile dysfunction (who knew?), all Winner had to do was claim the erectile pumps treated erectile dysfunction. Medicare also requires a prescription from a physician, and that may be where Winner ultimately forced a red flag or two. Read on…

$284 may not sound all too huge, but it apparently added up to some $370,305. Not too shabby. Unless you get caught. Which he did.

So Winner, who’s also answering charges of having bilked Medicare out of another $1.8 million for some “arthritic packages” (cbsnews.com) he claims Medicare beneficiaries and their doctors had ordered, is now up a creek without a paddle—or a pump of any sort.

Winner’s agreed to give up $2.2 million and he’s facing up to 33 years in prison along with $760,000 in fines. His sentencing will be on February 10, 2012.

Tags: Erectile Pump Scam, Gary Winner, Medicare, Penis Enlargement, Penis Pump Fraud. NSL
Posted in Consumer Fraud, Emerging Issues, lawsuits, Totally Tortelicious | 2 Comments »

Feds Turn Up the HEAT on Medicare and Medicaid Fraud

May 21st, 2009. By Evelyn Pringle

On May 20, 2009, US Attorney General Eric Holder and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the creation of the Heath Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team to take up the battle against Medicare and Medicaid fraud with senior officials from HHS and the US Department of Justice working together.

“With this announcement, we raise the stakes on health care fraud by launching a new effort with increased tools, resources and a sustained focus by senior-level leadership,” Attorney General Holder said in a May 20, 2009 DOJ press release. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Fraud, Medicaid, Medicare
Posted in Drugs/Medical | 1 Comment »