Matteson, Ill.-based physician Ajibola Ayeni, MD, has been ordered to pay more than $25 million for more than 4,000 violations of the False Claims Act, the Justice Department said March 28.
Dr. Ayeni owned a home visiting physician company where he knowingly submitted claims for Medicare payments for services not rendered, medically unnecessary services and services that were upcoded. A whistleblower suit was filed in 2013 and the government intervened in 2017, according to a news release.
In 2017, Dr. Ayeni was also charged in a case alleging oversight fraud. It was resolved in 2019 when he pleaded guilty to one count of theft in connection with a healthcare program. In his plea, Dr. Ayeni admitted Medicare paid his company around $523,000 from 2011 to 2015 for 4,367 false claims.
In 2023, a chief U.S. district judge granted summary judgment to the government, saying Dr. Ayeni is liable for the false claims to Medicare based on his earlier guilty plea and his admissions within the plea agreement, the Justice Department said.