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StumbleWoman gets 30 months for Culinary Union health program fraud
Friday, May 28, 2010 | 11:58 a.m.
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U.S. District Judge Lloyd George sentenced a California woman Thursday to 30 months in prison for defrauding the Culinary Union’s health care insurance program, Nevada's U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden said today.
Ana Bertha Acosta, 40, of Dulzura, Calif., also was ordered to pay $959,735 in restitution. She pleaded guilty on Feb. 16 to three counts of health care fraud.
From June 2000 to June 2007, Acosta and several co-schemers submitted fraudulent health care claims to the Culinary Union’s health care insurance program by representing that union members had obtained emergency medical services in Mexico, when they actually received cosmetic procedures such as breast augmentations and “tummy tucks.” The union’s insurance program does not provide coverage for cosmetic surgeries, unless they are medically necessary.
The investigation was initiated in 2006 to determine whether Las Vegas insurance providers were being targeted for fraudulent medical claims by Mexican medical providers.
Investigators found that the Culinary Union’s health care insurance program, which provides medical insurance services to at least 50,000 participants in the hospitality industry in the Las Vegas area, had been billed roughly $4.9 million for “out of country” claims from January 2002 through February 2006. Investigators also found that the “out of country” claims were almost entirely from Mexico.
The majority of the claims were for emergency procedures in Mexico. When investigators began interviewing a number of the patients, they were told that the insurance claims were fabricated and that they had actually had cosmetic surgery in Mexico, not emergency services.
Acosta’s sister, Rebeca Acosta, 47, was also charged in the scheme and was released on bond following her first court appearance. Rebeca Acosta failed to appear for subsequent court hearings and a warrant was issued for her arrest. She remains a fugitive.
The cases are being investigated by the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. They are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Crane Pomerantz.
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I suspect that if ICE ever investigated the members of the culinary union they would find a majority are illegals. Why are illegals allowed to work in Las Vegas and be protected by these unions? We have 300,000 illegals in Las Vegas taking jobs away from Tax Paying American Citizens. DEPORT ALL ILLEGALS.
People that are not citizens can own property and buy medical insurance in the USA. Healthnet said that people could get medical care in Mexico or the US if they wanted to. A convicted ax murderer on death row can have medical insurance, so an illegal can have too. How do they get a sheriff's card if they are illegal to work in a casino?
You dont need a sherriffs card to work in food and beverage. Unless you want to pay 10 dollars for a tomato, or 30 dollars for a hamburger we better learn to live with illegal aliens. and if you tell me those are jobs taken away from Americans. I laugh at that. No one with papers is going to pick strawberries for next to nothing. This country would fold without undocumented workers. So while it seems easy to just say get out, be careful what you ask for.
cvaughn Not one member of culinary picks strawberry for a living. They do however have jobs as cooks, kitchen managers, beverage managers, dish washers etc. and other culinary positions and yes for every illegal in one of these jobs means an American citizen is out of a job. 30 dollars for a hamburger is just bullsh2t you are pulling out of the air. Anyone with a brain can find fault in your argument. Fact is that those illegals cost every American Taxpayer over $14,000 ea in additional taxes during our lifetime. Illegals are eroding the American Dream and costing us all. DEPORT ALL ILLEGALS
At the risk of repeating myself...again...
Take a long, hard look at the protesters in the immigration reform marches. The majority depicted in the news photos couldn't bend over if they had to, let alone pick produce beneath the sweltering sun. Once they get settled in, our neighbors from the south only want to get fat and lazy on the tax dollars of American citizens. I'm not buying that "ten bucks for a tomato crap". Send 'em all packing, anchor babies included.
A million for 30 months seems like a decent trade. The chance of her ever paying back a cent is about 1%.
the culinary union does not employ illegal aliens. the hotels do the hiring. so lets see how the union gets the blame for illegal aliens.
By cvaughn "Unless you want to pay 10 dollars for a tomato, or 30 dollars for a hamburger we better learn to live with illegal aliens."
BS. Want proof. Just look at the everyone applying for those McDonald's jobs on TV this week. Advertised at about min wage and only 20 hours a week. Compared to 1.5 to 2 times min wage, 40 hour weeks, free health care for the entire family, paid days off, etc.
That whole "just doing work no one elSe wants to do" is a crock. If some people realized how good some of the culinary people have it there would be much more trying to get in. The misconception that they just make min wage on the strip is untrue.
Plenty of hotels hire illegals. There are enough in positions of power that they will hire, promote, help, and over look errors of the other Mexicans. Mean while the US citizens are discriminated against by getting the hardest tasks, passed on promotions, and are pushed out at any chance. You could complain to the union, except the Mexicans are running that too. If they have their way some day the US citizens will be cutting their grass, picking their food, and learning Spanish.
unions = crooks.