Feds Arrest Local Ambulance Company Owner - Philadelphia News, Weather and Sports from WTXF FOX 29

The Justice Department has arrested a Bucks County man on charges he bilked the government out of $5.4 million dollars in Medicare payments.  Bill Le owned Starcare Ambulance of Bensalem.  His company was the focus of a FOX 29 Investigates report.

It was June of 2010 when FOX 29 had its cameras locked on a man in a dark shirt.

He had just come out of a Northeast Philadelphia dialysis center and he smoked and talked on the phone before he pulled open the door to a Starcare Ambulance and jumped in.

It was important because the man was likely on the federal health insurance program Medicare and taxpayers were footing the bill for the ride.  FOX 29 tracked the ambulance as it headed across the city and out to Delaware County where he got out and walked to his apartment.  We saw it happen another time.

According to the federal government, activity like this is against the law. Patients on Medicare, who can walk, are barred from ambulances because it costs taxpayers hundreds of dollars per ride.

The Justice Department arrested Starcare owner, Bill Le, on Monday and charged him with 23 counts of healthcare fraud.

The feds allege Le fraudulently billed Medicare $5.4 million dollars for ambulance rides for patients who never should have been on board.

We called Starcare Ambulance seeking comment Monday, but the phone is out of service. If convicted, Le faces significant jail time, a quarter million dollar fine and the government wants the $5.4 million paid back.