DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — TWO BROOKLYN MARKETERS pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiring to defraud Medicaid in a $68 million kickback scheme tied to adult day care and home health services that were billed but not provided, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release.
Manal Wasef and Elaine Antao, both 46, admitted to steering Medicaid recipients to two Brooklyn social adult day care centers and a home health care fiscal intermediary in exchange for illegal cash bribes. Prosecutors said the scheme ran from 2017 through 2024 and involved laundering proceeds through shell entities to fund kickbacks.
The guilty pair agreed to forfeit about $1 million. They each face up to 10 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for May. The case is part of a broader investigation involving at least seven guilty pleas to date, authorities said, as federal agencies continue to target large-scale health care fraud in Brooklyn.
✰✰✰
