West Monroe man charged in federal court, alleged scheme to defraud Medicare

MONROE, La. (KTVE/KARD) — According to a United States Department of Justice press release, on Friday, June 28, 2024, United States Attorney Brown filed a criminal charge against Michael Riggins, 61, of West Monroe, La., in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud Medicare.

Riggins, was indicted with conspiracy to common health care fraud for his role in equipment (“DME” scheme.) As alleged in the indictment, Riggins owns Bluewater Healthcare (“Bluewater”), a DME supply company in West Monroe.

It is alleged from 2018 to 2023, Riggins paid for doctors’ orders for pneumatic compression devices (“PCDs), a type of DME, and tricked doctors into signing DME orders and certificates of medical necessary to order a bill for the expensive and medically unnecessary DME.

Riggins was sentenced over $3.8 million to fraudulent claims to Medicare for supplying PCDs and was reimbursed over $1.8 million. These charges were part of a strategically coordinated two-week nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 147 defendants for their alleged participation in healthcare fraud and opioid abuse schemes that resulted in the submission of over $2.5 billion in alleged false bills.

An indictment is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.