4 people, together with two physicians, have been indicted within the Japanese District of Texas charged with federal violations involving a college athletic billing scheme, introduced U.S. Lawyer Damien M. Diggs.

Mouzon Bass, III, often known as Muzzy Bass, 58, of Highland Park; Lance West Wilson, 54, of Allen; and Robert Brent Scott, 59, of La Quinta, CA; had been indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2024 and charged with conspiring to commit wire fraud, conspiring to commit healthcare fraud, and conspiring to commit cash laundering.

In a separate indictment returned in October 2023, Kyle Kelly Carter, 61, of Keller, was charged with conspiring to commit wire fraud. The defendants have all made preliminary appearances in federal courtroom this month.

In keeping with the indictments, from roughly 2014 by means of 2023, the defendants are alleged to have been concerned in a university-centered athletic division billing scheme. Bass and Wilson used their firm, Vivature, to submit false claims to personal insurance coverage carriers representing that physicians, like Scott and Carter, had been offering medical companies for injured student-athletes at universities throughout the nation.

The U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace of the Japanese District of Texas alleges that in actuality, these physicians didn’t see or deal with these student-athletes, and in lots of situations, had been bodily tons of of miles away from the place the student-athletes had been receiving remedy.

Moderately, the companies had been really carried out by athletic trainers employed by the schools’ athletic departments—who, most occasions, had been particularly excluded from insurance coverage firms’ reimbursement insurance policies. On the route of Bass and Wilson, Vivature submitted 1000’s of false claims to the insurance coverage firms, named Scott, Carter, and different physicians because the servicing suppliers, and used their NPI numbers on the claims’ paperwork.

In trade for permitting the fraudulent use of their NPI and credentials, Vivature made common funds to Scott, Carter, and different physicians.

A separate conspiracy concerned solely defendants Bass, Wilson, and Scott, who executed a scheme to fraudulently acquire Well being assets and Providers Administration (“HRSA”) authorities funds earmarked for COVID-19 testing offered to uninsured Individuals.

The defendants partnered with worldwide resorts internet hosting American vacationers overseas, providing to handle the billing and claims course of for COVID-19 testing offered to those American vacationers. Then, the defendants submitted 1000’s of reimbursement claims to HRSA for such vacationers, though such vacationers had been privately insured and ineligible underneath the HRSA program.

In whole, the defendants are alleged to have collectively obtained over $70 million from the 2 schemes. With these funds, they paid themselves tens of millions of {dollars}; bought actual property together with a multi-million greenback house, lakehouse, and worldwide residence; and purchased a multi-million greenback yacht.

This case is being investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by assistant U.S. attorneys in Plano.

Supply: The U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace of the Japanese District of Texas

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