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Glendale Woman Sentenced to 9 Years in Federal Prison for $10.6 Million Hospice Fraud Scheme Involving Kickbacks for Patients

LOS ANGELES – A Glendale woman was sentenced today to 108 months in federal prison for participating in a scheme in which hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal kickbacks were paid and received for patient referrals that resulted in the submission of approximately $10.6 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for purported hospice care. Nita Almuete Paddit Palma, 75, of Glendale, was sentenced by United States District Judge Dolly M. Gee, who also ordered her to pay $8,270,032 in restitution. At a separate hearing today, Judge Gee sentenced Percy Dean Abrams, 75, of Lakewood, to three years of probation, which will include two years of home confinement.

Read more on www.justice.gov

Action Details

  • Date:August 5, 2025
  • Agency:U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California
  • Enforcement Types:
    • Criminal and Civil Actions