Jackson doctor gets 14 years for health care fraud

Dr. Cassandra Faye Thomas

By Monica Land

JACKSON – A Jackson doctor found guilty of filing more than $12 million in false claims has been sentenced to 168 months (14 years) in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.

Dr. Cassandra Faye Thomas was sentenced in U.S. District Court Friday for a variety of charges including wire fraud to conspiracy.

Dr. Cassandra Thomas

Thomas owned Central Mississippi Physical Medicine Group, Inc. at 514C Woodrow Wilson Avenue, which claimed to provide free physical therapy services to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.

Thomas billed Medicare and Medicaid for false claims of more than $12 million and was paid $6.9 million dollars.

Court documents showed that Thomas submitted claims to Medicare and Medicaid, which represented that the therapy services had either been provided by a doctor, were provided under the doctor’s direct supervision, or were provided by a licensed physical therapist.

The evidence at trial showed that none of the services that were billed to Medicare and Medicaid were provided or supervised by a doctor, or by a licensed physical therapist. Instead, the therapy services were provided by employees of Central Mississippi Physical Medicine Group, none of which were trained or licensed physical therapists.

In fact, most of the employees of Central Mississippi Physical Medicine Group, had little or no medical training at all, authorities said.

From March, 2002 until September, 2004, Thomas billed Medicare and Medicaid for false claims of more than $12 million.

Frank Wiley, who was previously convicted for his role in a similar company called Mississippi Central Rehab, testified during Thomas’ trial.

According to the FBI, Thomas was ordered to pay back close to $7 million in restitution.

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