Miami Herald: Son of Democratic State Representative Daphne Campbell was charged with defrauding Medicaid of nearly $300,000

From The Miami Herald today, May 20, 2011:

State lawmaker’s son charged with Medicaid fraud

The son of Democratic state Rep. Daphne Campbell was charged with defrauding Medicaid of nearly $300,000.


BY JULIE K. BROWNjbrown@MiamiHerald.com

Gregory Campbell, the son of Democratic state Rep. Daphne Campbell, has been snared in a $299,000 Medicaid scheme in which he is accused of fraudulently billing the agency for clients he didn’t provide any services for.

The charges include grand theft, organized fraud, and Medicaid fraud, all first-degree felonies.

Campbell, 28, allegedly billed Medicaid for the same recipients at two separate adult family care homes in Miami-Dade, and also billed for clients who never lived at either facility, according to the arrest affidavit filed in Miami-Dade court by the Florida Attorney General’s office.

He split part of his take with Percival Wignall, the owner of Sunnyman Retirement Home, 61 NE 211 Street, Miami. The other home, Denian Adult Home, was located at 1835 NW 185th Street, Miami Gardens. It was owned by Cebert George Williams, who shut it down in 2005 and moved to Port St. Lucie but kept the nursing home license.

The two-year investigation by the state Medicaid Fraud Control unit uncovered $299,000 in fraudulent claims paid by the state Agency for Health Care Administration. Medicaid, jointly funded by the state and federal government, is a $20 billion program serving more than 3 million low-income adults and children in Florida.

Campbell was arrested May 12 and is being held in the Miami-Dade County jail.

When reached by telephone about her son’s arrest, Daphne Campbell declined comment.

A political newcomer, Daphne Campbell, a registered nurse, won the state District 108 seat last November. The district covers Northeast Miami and includes portions of North Miami, El Portal and Miami Shores.

During this year’s legislative session, she infuriated fellow Democrats with her support of bills that put further restrictions on abortion. The anger erupted on the House floor when she and Rep. Scott Randolph of Orlando got into a skirmish, with Randolph promising to find someone to unseat her in 2012.

She ran into trouble with state officials in 2005 when she was accused of running nursing homes in which clients were mistreated, neglected and, in four cases, died.

At the time, she operated a chain of nine group homes for disabled people in Miami-Dade, Broward and Lee counties called Professional Group Homes, Inc.

In response to complaints, the state Agency for Disabilities terminated Campbell’s contract in 2006, but she appealed the decision. After a series of legal actions, the decision was reversed. She was eventually given new authority to bill under the state’s Medicaid program and operate group homes for the disabled.

She did not lose her license. She is now owner and president of Florida Nurses Home Health Agency, which provides nurses and other specialists to patients in their homes.

Herald staff writers Michael Sallah and Sergio R. Bustos contributed to this story.


Read more:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/19/2225075/state-lawmakers-son-charged-with.html#ixzz1MthNGjdS

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