BOSTON — A Waltham-based non-emergency medical transportation company and its former owner have been indicted on charges they fraudulently billed Massachusetts’ Medicaid program more than $770,000 for rides that were never provided and then laundered the proceeds through domestic and overseas accounts, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office announced Friday.
A Statewide Grand Jury returned indictments against Bakali Mukasa, 44, formerly of Billerica, and his former company, JBM Health and Educational Services Inc. Mukasa now resides in Uganda, according to prosecutors.
Mukasa and JBM are each charged with one count of Medicaid false claims, larceny over $1,200, and money laundering.
Prosecutors allege that between July 2019 and November 2020, Mukasa and JBM billed MassHealth for 16,907 non-emergency medical transportation rides purportedly provided to members traveling to methadone clinics for opioid addiction treatment. Investigators determined that many of those rides were never provided.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, treatment records showed that on numerous dates for which rides were billed, MassHealth members had received “take-home” methadone doses that did not require an in-person clinic visit. Authorities also identified nearly 100 rides billed for members who were deceased.
MassHealth, through its transportation contractor, paid more than $770,000 to Mukasa and JBM for the allegedly fraudulent claims, prosecutors said.
Investigators further allege that Mukasa engaged in a complex money laundering scheme involving more than $1 million. Authorities said he moved funds through bank, real estate and investment accounts held in the names of other individuals before transferring money to accounts in Uganda.
The charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
