NJ AG: Psychological well being clinic proprietor duped Medicaid in $1M tax fraud – New Jersey 101.5 FM

TRENTON — The proprietor of a now-defunct chain of psychological well being clinics up and down the Backyard State stands accused, alongside along with his spouse and a number of other former staff, of cooking his books to defraud Medicaid and conceal greater than $11 million in earnings.

According to a release Monday from the state Workplace of the Legal professional Common, Daniel Cassell, 56, of Perkasie, Pa., was charged with quite a few offenses in an indictment handed up by a New Jersey grand jury on Aug. 25.

Cassell is the founding father of Ewing-based Kwenyan Skilled Well being Providers, LLC, and Kwenyan and Associates, which OAG stated have been the topic of an Workplace of the Insurance coverage Fraud Prosecutor investigation that launched in 2019, inspecting the entities’ enterprise practices from the start of 2015 till Kwenyan ceased operations in October 2021.

The scheme that allegedly concerned Cassell, his spouse Bindu Cassell, 37, and staff Knyckholle Hooke, 47, of Roselle, Carmen Ward, 63, of Flemington, and John Johnson, 31, of Levittown, Pa., defrauded not solely Medicaid, OAG stated, but additionally the Progressive insurance coverage firm, which offered protection to greater than 20 service vans utilized by Kwenyan clinics.

Mr. Cassell is accused of instructing Hooke and Ward to invoice Medicaid for psychological well being providers that have been both by no means rendered, or have been carried out in a bunch setting however for which particular person or household providers have been billed, in response to the indictment.

He and Johnson, OAG stated, falsely claimed that the service vans could be garaged in Pennsylvania reasonably than New Jersey, permitting them to insure the automobiles there and achieve a financial good thing about greater than $1,000.

Lastly, the Cassells are alleged to have failed reporting greater than $11 million in New Jersey-earned earnings throughout their 2016, 2017, and 2018 tax return filings, leading to unpaid liabilities over $1 million.

Daniel Cassell is charged with first-degree cash laundering and second-degree theft by deception. He and Bindu Cassell are every charged with second-degree misconduct of a company official, and three counts every of third-degree submitting a fraudulent return and third-degree failure to pay tax.

Mr. Cassell, Hooke, and Ward are collectively charged with second-degree conspiracy to commit well being care claims fraud, second-degree well being care claims fraud, third-degree conspiracy to commit Medicaid fraud, and third-degree Medicaid fraud.

Together with Johnson, Mr. Cassell additionally faces insurance coverage fraud expenses.

The state urges those that are conscious of situations of Medicaid fraud to report them online, e-mail [email protected], or name 609-292-1272.

Suspected tax fraud may be reported by calling 609-322-6057.

Patrick Lavery is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You’ll be able to attain him at [email protected]

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