Month: December 2021

Fairfield News: Shell Station Robbed At Gunpoint

Police UPDATE: Fairfield Police are currently investigating an armed robbery which occurred at Fairfield Shell, 1139 Post Rd at approximately 7:43 PM. A male subject entered the store, held the clerk at gunpoint and demanded cash from the register. He fled the area prior to police arrival. No injuries were reported. As both an investigative and precautionary measure, Police, along with K9’s, are currently conducting a search of the area. At this time, we do not believe there is any further threat to the public. This is an active investigation, updates are pending.

2021-12-27@8:47pm–#Fairfield CT– The Shell Station at 1139 Post Road was just robbed at gunpoint by a black male with a full face black covering according to radio reports.

NUMEROUS BOATS VANDALIZED, SOUTH BENSON MARINA:

#Fairfield CT– The Fairfield Police Department is currently investigating several reports of boats being vandalized at the South Benson Marina in Fairfield, CT.  Officers responded to the Marina on both 12/17/21 and 12/23/21 and found numerous boats spray painted with similar markings/tags.  The boats were all marked with black paint and what appeared to be either the words Yeet/Yeex, Mot/Mox, Sano, and Reckr painted on them.

At this time, at least 8 boats and 2 trailers have been found to be vandalized.

Fairfield Police Detectives are seeking assistance from the public for information on the markings/tags (see attached images) and for information on the identity of those responsible. 

Contact the Fairfield Police Detective Bureau at (203) 254-4840.  Anonymous tips can be submitted via the Fairfield PD mobile app or by texting the keyword FPDCT plus your message/tip to 847411 (Tip411). Tips can also be submitted online at fpdct.com/tips. 

ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG ANNOUNCES $739,759 SETTLEMENT WITH MANCHESTER PEDIATRIC ASSOCIATES OVER FALSE MEDICAID BILLING

Hartford, CT) — Attorney General William Tong announced a $739,759.52 Connecticut False Claims Act settlement with Manchester Pediatric Associates, LLC (MPA), and its owner, Dr. Swathanthra Melekote to resolve allegations that MPA submitted false and fraudulent claims between January 2015 and May 2021 that resulted in overbilling the Connecticut Medicaid program.

“Over the course of more than five years, Manchester Pediatric Associates and its owner Dr. Melekote, knowingly and systematically submitted hundreds of thousands of dollars of false claims to the Medicaid program for services he did not perform to maximize his own profit. These false claims and fraudulent double billing practices misused Connecticut Medicaid resources intended for the medical care of our state’s most vulnerable residents,” Attorney General Tong said. “The Office of the Attorney General takes seriously our responsibility to safeguard our public healthcare programs and is prepared to take strong action against anyone who violates that public trust.”

“These inexcusable violations under the False Claims Act have resulted in a major settlement amount being returned the Medicaid program,” Department of Social Services Commissioner Deidre S. Gifford said.  “While such violations do not represent Medicaid providers as a whole, the case underscores the continuing need for strong enforcement of public integrity standards.  I thank the Attorney General and his staff, our DSS anti-fraud investigators, and all partners who work to safeguard taxpayer investments in our health coverage programs.”

Manchester Pediatric Associates serves approximately 5,700 pediatric Medicaid patients in South Windsor, Torrington, and Tolland. Following a whistleblower complaint, the Office of the Attorney General worked with the Department of Social Services Special Investigations Unit to conduct an investigation into Melekote’s questionable billing practices.

The investigation — which included a review of claims data for MPA Medicaid patients’ medical records, as well as extensive interviews with current and former MPA employees — found that Melekote violated the CT False Claims Act by knowingly billing Medicaid twice for maternal depression screenings and vaccine administration and by “up-coding” to bill for medical services as if a physician had provided the services, instead of a physician assistant or nurse practitioner, which would have been reimbursed at a lower rate. Melekote also billed Medicaid for maternal depression screens after a patient was one year old, and without adequate documentation that the service was provided in the patient’s medical records.

The investigation also found that Melekote directed staff to attach numerical “modifiers” to the codes entered on the electronic claim for payment for a service that MPA submitted to DSS’s claims processor. This was how MPA was able to “double bill” for a single maternal depression screen or single vaccine administration.  MPA employees were told to bill from a “billing guide” created by Melekote without regard to whether the billed services were in the patient’s medical record, and without regard to whether a mid-level practitioner rather than a physician provided the service. 

The total settlement amount is $739, 759.52 and will be paid no later than Dec. 30, 2021.

Anyone with knowledge of suspected fraud or abuse in the public healthcare system is asked to contact the Attorney General’s Antitrust and Government Program Fraud Department at 860-808-5040 or by email at ag.fraud@ct.gov; or the Department of Social Services fraud reporting hotline at 1-800-842-2155, online at www.ct.gov/dss/reportingfraud, or by email to providerfraud.dss@ct.gov.

This press release was made possible by:

https://www.bmwofbridgeport.com/new-vehicles/

Derby News: Person In The Water and Route 8 Crash

2021-12-25@11:35pm–#Derby CT– There are two separate calls in the same area. The first call came in for a person in the water (Housatonic River) in the lower portion of Caroline Street. There is also a second call for a two car crash on Route 8 at exit 15.

This news report is made possible by:

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