On January 22, the United States Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Florida announced that Absolute Physical & Aquatic Therapy, LLC; Chipley Physical Therapy, LLC; Ruben Laurel; and Lorrie Laurel have agreed to pay $754, 722.88 to settle allegations of the False Claims Act. Defendants Ruben Laurel and Lorrie Laurel own and operate Chipley Physical Therapy, LLC, a Florida-based outpatient physical and aquatic therapy practice. Absolute Physical & Aquatic Therapy, LLC is a private practice therapy group owned and operated in part by Ruben Laurel.
Allegedly, the defendants knowingly submitted 503 false claims for government payment of services performed by Laurel while she was “out of the country and on cruises in Mexico, Jamaica, Aruba, and the Bahamas between July 2019 and March 2024.”
Consistent with the Department of Justice’s priority of eliminating fraud, waste, and abuse in federal programs, U.S. Attorney Heekin said, “I am incredibly proud of the great work by my office to recover these U.S. taxpayer monies that were improperly paid out for false claims submitted by this physical therapy practice…my office will continue to zealously pursue any person or business who tries to rip off the U.S. Government and steal from the U.S. taxpayer.”
The settlement resulted from a qui tam whistleblower lawsuit initiated by Ariel Bowen, a former employee. Qui tam provisions in the False Claim Act enable citizens to file lawsuits on behalf of the government based on knowledge of instances of government fraud, and whistleblowers are eligible for 15% to 30% of the government’s award. Ms. Bowen will receive $150,944.58 from her contribution to the investigation.
Additionally, the settlement included non-monetary terms. These terms put in place systems and training to prevent the defendants from further FCA violations and require periodic reports to the government. Failure to comply with these terms will result in additional penalties.
Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Office of Inspector General, Ricardo M. Carcas, said, “Submitting claims for services that could not have been performed is a blatant abuse of federal health care programs and undermines the trust patients place in the system. Today’s resolution reflects our commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to safeguard taxpayer funds and ensure accountability for those who knowingly submit false claims.”
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of the defendants’ liability.
