https://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2019/02/18/health-care-fraud-ambulance-employee-money-laundering/2911218002/

A woman who worked for a private ambulance company at the center of a federal fraud and money laundering case has agreed to plead guilty and cooperate with the government, according to a motion filed Monday in the U.S. District Court of Guam.

Thelma Joiner, also known as Thelma French, agreed to plead guilty to misprision of a felony, documents state. Joiner lives in Hawaii. A motion was filed to allow her to enter her guilty plea before a judge in the federal court in Hawaii instead of returning to Guam.

Clifford "Cliff" Shoemake, Kimberly "Casey" Conner and Nicholas "Nick" Shoemake in January 2016 were indicted on several charges, including health care fraud, laundering of monetary instruments and conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

According to prosecutors, their company, Guam Medical Transport, charged the federal government millions of dollars for unauthorized ambulance services for Medicare and TriCare patients on Guam.

Clifford Shoemake and Conner were part owners of Guam Medical Transport. Nicholas Shoemake, Clifford's son, was the company's executive assistant, the indictment states.

Part of the alleged scheme was to provide ambulance transportation even though non-emergency ambulance transportation wasn't medically necessary, the indictment states. Most of the ambulance trips in question brought people to and from dialysis clinics, and federal prosecutors have referred to the operation as a glorified taxi service.

The indictment states the health care fraud happened between March 2010 and March 2014 and the company submitted more than $32 million in billings and was paid $10.8 million.

Joiner in December 2016 was charged with obstruction of criminal investigations of health care offenses.

Joiner allegedly submitted altered or fabricated documents to the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General after the inspector general subpoenaed the company.

Misprision of a felony means a person knows about a federal felony but conceals it or doesn't make it known as soon as possible to a judge or to the authorities. It carries a fine and a prison sentence of as long as three years.

The court earlier this month set a new trial date for the defendants, at 10 a.m. April 9.

The court last week issued an order, dismissing dozens of prospective jurors from the case based on their responses to a questionnaire they filled out in December.