The estate of a deceased Bronx nursing home owner has agreed to return over $2.5 Million to Medicaid in a deal reached within the past few weeks. The deceased, Helen Sieger, is the former owner of Kingsbridge Heights Rehabilitation and Care Center, located in the Bronx. She was indicted in 2009 on counts of criminal kickback and grand larceny. Allegations at the time were that Sieger paid a social worker to refer patients to Kingsbridge rather than other facilities. Sieger’s partner in the scheme is awaiting sentencing for felony and misdemeanor convictions.
Sieger had been sued in the past for failing to pay employee compensation to the workers of Kingsbridge. She was removed by the Department of Health in 2009 as head of Kingsbridge, prior to her arrest on the charges above. Sieger died in prison in April after a struggle with cancer.
The two and a half million dollars will be returned to the state Medicaid fund, per the settlement. In a statement regarding this case in particular, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman made clear how seriously the state feels about Medicaid fraud cases, stating that “there are few programs as sacred as the Medicaid system that provides for our senior citizens. Those who steal from the elderly deserve to be prosecuted and the stolen funds fully restored.”
Additional details about the case, as well as Sieger’s death, can be found here, at Senior Housing News.
