Twenty Seven Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters Union Members Sentenced For Health Care Theft
From the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana:
HAMMOND, IN – Twenty Seven Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters were each sentenced after guilty pleas to one count of health care theft, announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch.
According to the documents filed in this case, 27 members of the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters filed false medical claims illegally requesting reimbursement of medical expenses from the union’s health care program. These 27 union members pled guilty to Health Care Theft and were ordered to pay restitution to the union health fund. The total amount ordered repaid was $531,422.68.
U.S. Attorney Kirsch said, “Both the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General and Employee Benefit Security Administration take health care fraud seriously. To be able to have restitution ordered in excess of $500,000 greatly enhances the reliability of these plans.”
“We will continue to work with the U.S. Department Labor’s Employee Benefit Security Administration and our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of employee benefit plans,” stated James Vanderberg, Special Agent-in-Charge, Chicago Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.
“The Employee Benefits Security Administration will continue to investigate such crimes aggressively on behalf of workers nationwide as part of the Department’s mission to protect the rights of America’s workers,” said EBSA Regional Director Jeffrey A. Monhart, in Chicago.
These cases were investigated by the United States Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General and the Employee Benefits Security Administration and prosecuted by United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Indiana.
According to Northwest Times, “the defendants sentenced include: Michael Broviak, 60, Crown Point; Brian Clare, 41, Hebron; John Considine Jr, 38, Hobart; Bradley Crostreet, 48, Valparaiso; Ryan Cundiff, 42, Crown Point; Thomas Drutis, 61, Highland; Brian Ellis, 48, Hobart; Dennis Gardner, 55, LaPorte; William Gramhofer IV, 35, Valparaiso; Robert Gutierrez, age unknown, Demotte; Edgar Hilzley, 39, Portage; Luka Kljajic, 58, Griffith; Derek Lamprecht, 35, Hebron; Christopher LeBell, 38, Cedar Lake; Justin Lindner, 34, Lake Village; Eric Murray, 40, Valparaiso; Daniel Rehfeldt, 51, Hobart; Jeremy Ryba, 46, Walkerton; Eric Sampias, 41, Lowell; Darrell Smith, 50, Lake Station; Kenneth Tolson, 44, Monterey; Ryan Valentine, 41, Valparaiso; Aaron Vaughan, 27, Lake Station; Trommel Walters Sr., 44, Michigan City; Joshua Westfall, 40, LaPorte; Joshua Zale, 29, Chesterton; and Thomas Zale, 53, Valparaiso.”
