Suburban trio's $1.5 million health care fraud scheme collapses

Last update: September 29, 2008 - 11:31 PM

A 51-year-old Eden Prairie man has admitted in federal court that he conspired with his wife and another person to commit health-care fraud involving about $1.5 million.

Mohamed Essa pleaded guilty Friday in Minneapolis to cheating Medica, which administers the Medicaid public health care benefit program in Minnesota.

According to Essa's plea agreement, he admitted that from Jan. 1, 2001, through December 2004, he conspired with his wife, Indadeeq Omar, and Tou Chaiker Vang, of Maplewood, to defraud Medica out of about $1.5 million.

Essa also admitted that the scheme involved submitting claims for translation services that had not been rendered to Medica members, and that he and the others prepared and submitted false claims to Medica.

Vang was employed by Medica in the State Public Programs customer service department.

Essa and Omar owned and operated Global Interpreter Corp., which contracted with Medica to provide translation services to members as they were being treated by health care providers.

On July 17, Omar, 45, was sentenced to six years in prison, along with three years of supervised release on one count of health care fraud conspiracy, 12 counts of health care fraud, one count of money laundering conspiracy, 19 counts of concealment money laundering and seven counts of promotion money laundering. She was convicted by a federal jury in December 2007.

On April 11, Vang, 39, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison, three years of supervised release, and was ordered to assist Omar in paying more than $1.7 million in restitution. Vang pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy and one count of health care fraud conspiracy.

Essa was indicted on March 13, 2007, while out of the country. He failed to return to face the charges, and was apprehended on April 10, 2008, in South Africa. His sentencing has yet to be scheduled.

PAUL WALSH

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