A Louisiana man pleaded guilty today in connection with a five-year scheme to submit millions of dollars in fraudulent claims to Medicare for expensive and medically unnecessary medical equipment.
According to court documents, Michael L. Riggins, 62, of West Monroe, Louisiana, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud for his role in a durable medical equipment scheme.
Riggins was the owner of Bluewater Healthcare (Bluewater), a DME supply company in West Monroe.
From 2018 to 2023, Riggins paid for doctors’ orders for medically unnecessary DME and tricked doctors into signing DME orders and certificates of medical necessity in order to bill for it.
Despite receiving hundreds of complaints regarding fraudulent orders, Riggins submitted over $3.8 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for the supply of durable medical equipment and was reimbursed over $1.8 million.
Riggins is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
