PBSO captain's spouse accused of defrauding Medicare with twin brother
WEST PALM BEACH — Federal prosecutors say the wife and brother-in-law of a high-ranking member of Palm Beach County law enforcement defrauded Medicare out of more than $9 million. If convicted, they could spend up to 55 years in federal prison.
Ted Albin and Erin Foley, South Florida twins and owners of a medical billing company, are accused of conspiring with clients to bill insurers for medical equipment their patients didn't need. In addition to the multimillion dollar payout from insurers, investigators say the twins earned kickbacks for helping others commit fraud, too.
Foley's husband, Randy Foley, leads the Behavioral Services Division at the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. He was not named in the 14-page indictment and has not been charged with a crime.
His wife and brother-and-law were indicted in December after investigators identified the siblings' West Palm Beach company, Grapevine Professional Services Inc., as one of several across the country believed to have exploited the federal insurance program.
“Medicare is a valuable taxpayer-funded program, designed to provide affordable health care to people over 65 or with disabilities,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams in the wake of their arrest. “Not to line the pockets of those who would enrich themselves through fraud."
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Prosecutors: South Florida twins profited off illegitimate prescriptions
Investigators say a network of medical equipment companies provided the twins with sham prescriptions for durable medical equipment, or DME, between 2018 and 2021. DME includes braces, wheelchairs, oxygen equipment and other medical supplies.
The indictment does not name the people who wrote the bogus prescriptions but said Albin and Foley knew of their illegitimate origins and used them to bill insurance companies anyway. The twins owned several medical equipment companies themselves and are accused of funneling their own illegally purchased prescriptions into Grapevine's mix as well.
Investigators believe the pair also charged a fee to connect associates who wanted in on the scam with people willing to sign off on the phony prescriptions.
Foley, 46, of Loxahatchee and Albin, 46, of Stuart were charged in the Southern District of New York with conspiring to commit, and actually committing, health care fraud and wire fraud, as well as conspiring to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute.
Foley's court-appointed defense attorney, Jeffrey Pittell, declined to comment on the allegations Thursday. Albin's attorney, Sean Maher, did not immediately return requests for comment.
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Teri Barbera said Capt. Randy Foley is a "highly respected member of PBSO and is not implicated in these yet-to-be proven allegations." She declined to comment further.
Hannah Phillips covers criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism and subscribe today.
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This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: South Florida twins accused of defrauding Medicare out of millions
