$63M Medicare fraud trial ends in stalemate

After a trial lasting nearly one month, a Miami federal jury couldn't reach a unanimous verdict in the case of a psychiatrist and three therapists charged with a $63 million Medicare fraud conspiracy, the Miami Herald reported. The defendants--psychiatrist Roger Rousseau, M.D., and three licensed therapists employed at a chain of mental health clinics--were charged with submitting bogus claims for phony patients, the newspaper noted. Prosecutors said Rousseau signed what he knew were altered medical records, frequently without seeing the beneficiaries. The indictment also claimed that the therapists and counselors adulterated documentation to support claims for services that were either unnecessary or not performed. Now the government must decide if it wants to retry the case. Article