The Silver Spring owner of Holy Health Care Services pled guilty Wednesday to conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with a scheme to pay bribes and kickbacks to Medicaid beneficiaries and then charge Medicaid.
Mboutchock Kabiwa, who also is known as Eugenie Bakari and Eugenie Kabiwa, faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. Kabiwa, 45, also is required to pay full restitution, which was estimated at $3,400,000.
She will be sentenced Nov. 21.
According to her plea agreement, Kabiwa, 45, and a co-conspirator owned and operated Holy Health in Washington D.C. Holy Health had an agreement to provide mental health services to Medicaid recipients in D.C.
According to the plea agreement, Medicaid recipients were required to sign in received $5 or $10 for their visits. Kabiwa had her employees falsely describe these payments as transportation stipends.
Based on the amount that Medicaid paid to Holy Health for community support services that were not delivered or procured through bribes and kickbacks, the actual loss to Medicaid was at least approximately $3,343,781, according to the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland.
Kabiwa also admitted to receiving a loan of $150,000 as part of the CARES Act, which was created to help businesses owners survive during the pandemic.