Damon Heath Roberts, 55, owner of JDS Labs, pleaded guilty last Thursday to orchestrating a $1.7 million Medicare fraud involving COVID-19 test kickbacks, according to U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton. The plea, entered in federal court, could result in a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment for Roberts.
Court documents detail, how Roberts, charged in September, conspired with medical providers to misuse patient information and bill Medicare for COVID-19 tests, leading to kickbacks totaling an estimated $149,066. For these fraudulent activities, Roberts leveraged around $4 million in claims, netting $1.7 million from Medicare, according to the U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Texas.
The scheme submitted claims for commonly available over-the-counter COVID-19 tests to siphon funds from Medicare. Roberts faces sentencing on March 28, 2024, where, if convicted, he could trade in lucrative schemes for time in a federal prison cell.
Following the guilty plea, the FBI's Dallas Field Office, along with the Health & Human Services’ Office of Inspector General, are further investigating the alleged accomplices. Assistant U.S. Attorney Renee Hunter is prosecuting the case, signaling a tough stance against healthcare fraud and potential hefty penalties for those involved.
