Owner of Tax Return Preparation Franchise and Health Provider Business Pleads Guilty to Tax Fraud, Healthcare Fraud and Money Laundering
Claude Arthur Verbal II, formerly of Raleigh, N.C., and now of Miami, pleaded guilty to tax fraud, healthcare fraud and money laundering in two separate cases in federal court, announced Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally of the Justice Department's Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Ripley Rand for the Middle District of North Carolina. Verbal pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, one count of aiding and assisting the preparation of false tax returns, one count of healthcare fraud and one count of money laundering. The plea was accepted late yesterday by U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles in Greensboro, N.C., and sentencing was set for Aug. 11, 2014. Verbal faces up to 28 years in federal prison and $850,000 in fines, and has agreed to pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Medicaid. According to court documents, Verbal was the owner and operator of Infinite Wellness Concepts (IWC), a Medicaid behavioral health provider with locations in Burlington, Durham and Greensboro, N.C. IWC was contracted to provide group therapy, intensive in-home services, enhanced mental health and substance abuse services. Court documents state that Verbal acquired at least one million dollars in fraudulently obtained funds from the Medicaid program.
Action Details
- Date:April 10, 2014
- Agency:U.S. Attorney
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Enforcement Types:
- Criminal and Civil Actions