Medicaid recipients agree to pay $130,000 to resolve allegations they falsely claimed to be eligible for benefits
Published 2:51 pm Thursday, September 1, 2022
Darren J. LaMarca, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, announced today that Manpreet Kamboj and Gurdev Kamboj (aka David Singh) have agreed to pay $130,000 to resolve allegations that they knowingly falsified income to unlawfully create eligibility for Mississippi Medicaid health care benefits for their dependents.
The Medicaid Program is a state and federally funded health benefit program intended to assist low-income individuals and families. The Mississippi Division of Medicaid (MDOM) is the single state agency responsible for administering health care benefits for eligible, low-income individuals in Mississippi.
Despite Medicaid’s low-income requirement, the United States contends that Manpreet Kamboj and Gurdev Kamboj collectively owned and/or were associated with 48 convenience store/gas stations located in Mississippi and Louisiana. The Kambojs also own a five-bedroom 7,850 square foot home located in Madison, Mississippi, most recently valued at 1.3 million dollars.
According to the United States, the Kambojs falsely represented on various Mississippi Medicaid health care benefit applications and renewals that one of them was unemployed and that the household derived income from one convenience store/gas station. As such, the United States alleges that from August 29, 2011, to February 28, 2022, the Kambojs caused the MDOM to pay over $70,000 in health care coverage benefits to which they were not entitled.
“The Medicaid Program is intended to provide access to quality health coverage for vulnerable Mississippians,” said U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca. “Our office will continue to pursue those individuals who unlawfully deplete valuable resources allocated for Medicaid eligible individuals and families.”
The False Claims Act claims settled are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability. This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General.