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The company, formerly based in New Rochelle, provided transportation services to Medicaid recipients throughout Westchester and neighboring counties. Palliankal will be sentenced to six months in jail, followed by five years of probation, and will be required to pay full restitution to Medicaid, according to Schneiderman.
“This defendant lined his pockets with money that should have been used to provide medical care to patients in need,” said Schneiderman.
Medicaid recipients are provided transportation to medical facilities when certified by their health care providers as medically necessary and when Medicaid approves the service.
The health care provider must request only the level of service necessary based upon the patient’s condition: ambulance, ambulette or taxi. It is the responsibility of transportation providers selected by the recipient, such as Carewell Ambulette, to use the medical provider’s request to secure prior approval from Medicaid for the government-funded transportation.
From July 2006 through March 2010, Palliankal and Carewell defrauded the Medicaid system by doctoring the request forms received from the medical providers, the attorney general's office said.
These forms authorized taxi service, but Palliankal changed the forms to appear as though they authorized the more expensive ambulette service, which Medicaid pays at a rate four times higher than taxi service, the attorney general's office said.
Through his company, Palliankal fraudulently obtained Medicaid approval for unnecessary ambulette transportation and thereby defrauded Medicaid of more than $200,000, the attorney general's office said.
Palliankal and Carewell Ambulette pleaded guilty before Judge Barry Warhit in Westchester County Court. Palliankal will be sentenced by the court on Sept. 9. Carewell Ambulette will be fined $10,000.
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