Woodbury Man Indicted for Health Care Fraud

Authorities say two local men conspired to collect more than $1 million from Medicaid for personal care attendant services they never provided, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Samuel Akoto Danso, 41, of Woodbury, and Harry Kwabena Ossei, 51, of Oakdale, gave personal care attendants and Medicaid recipients a cut of the proceeds from their fraudulent filings in exchange for allowing them to use their identities in the alleged scheme, said Jeanne Cooney, director of community relations for the Minnesota District U.S. Attorney’s Office. In other cases they stole identification information to make the fraudulent charges, she said.

Ossei and Danso each owned two health care agencies that operated in Minnesota, according to the news release. Between 1995 and 2001, Ossei owned Midwest Home Health Care Systems and Midwest Health Care Systems. Between 2000 and 2007, Danso owned Metwest Health Care Services and between 2005 and 2007 he was part owner of Minnesota Home Health Care Services, the news release says.

Ossei pleaded guilty in 2003 to willingly filing a false tax return and health care fraud, which excluded him from participating in Medicare, Medicaid and all other federal health care programs for 15 years, according to the release.

Because of this prohibition, Ossei and Danso allegedly agreed that they would hide any income Ossei received from Medicaid, the release says.

The two men are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, 15 counts of health care fraud and eight counts of aggravated identity theft in relation to health care fraud.

If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each count of health care fraud, 20 years in prison on the count of money laundering, 10 years in prison on the count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, and a mandatory minimum penalty of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft, according to the news release.

Danso made his initial appearance in court Thursday, April 14, and Ossei is still at large, according to the news release.

Another man connected with the alleged scheme, Henry Asante-Tawiah, was convicted in 2010 for his participation, and he is now awaiting sentencing, the news release says.