Southern District of Georgia continues to lead nationwide effort against fraudulent ‘telehealth’ scams

AUGUSTA, GA: A man and his “marketing company” have been named in a five-count federal indictment for a scheme that paid workers to solicit elderly residents for information used to fraudulently bill government medical programs.

Patrick Siado, of Texas, and his company, Optimus Prime Marketing, LLC, are charged with one count of Conspiracy and four counts of Health Care Fraud, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The Conspiracy charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, while each count of Health Care Fraud carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. In addition to substantial fines and penalties, the charges also call for up to three years of supervised release after completion of any prison sentence. There is no parole in the federal system.  Read More