A Philadelphia dialysis patient has pleaded guilty to accepting kickbacks from an ambulance company, then lying to law enforcement officials about it.

A 61-year-old Philadelphia man pleaded guilty to receiving kickbacks and making false statements to law enforcement officials in connection with the federal government's ongoing crackdown on Medicare and Medicaid fraud by ambulance companies in the Philadelphia region.

William Conner, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, accepted monthly payments from Brotherly Love Ambulance Inc. — a now defunct Philadelphia ambulance company – to use the company to transport him to dialysis treatments, even though he could have been transported safely by other means and was, therefore, not eligible for ambulance service under Medicare and Medicaid requirements.

Feda Kuran, the founder and president of Brotherly Love, was sentenced to 64 months in prison in November 2014 for her role in the ambulance company's scheme to defraud the government health insurance programs by billing for ambulance trips, and in some instances trips in private vehicles, that were provided to patients who were not eligible for such services. The company's actions resulted in the Medicare program paying more than $2 million in inappropriate bills.

During the past five years, federal authorities have charged eight Philadelphia-area ambulance companies with filing fraudulent claims that have cost the Medicare program more than $18 million.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Conner, when interviewed by federal law enforcement officers about receiving payments, lied and denied receiving cash from Brotherly Love.

Conner faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $1 million fine. He will be sentenced in late May.

The case was investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew J.D. Hogan and Paul W. Kaufman.

John George covers health care, biotech/pharmaceuticals and sports business.

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