Morris Co. Physical Therapist Billed For Fake Sessions: Officials

MOUNT OLIVE, NJ — A physical therapist from Mount Olive is accused of billing for therpay sessions for developmentally delayed children that never happened, Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said.

Enock Mensah, 58, is one of eight accused of stealing more than $600,000 from Medicaid and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene by fraudulently billing for services, Donoghue said. The group allegedly said they provided services to young, developmentally delayed children through the New York State Early Intervention Program, despite never conducting those appointments.

“The victims of this fraud include not only the children and their families who were deprived of the therapeutic care that these defendants claimed to have performed, but ultimately the taxpayers whose taxes support Medicaid," Donoghue said.

The alleged fraud took place between 2012 and 2018, Donoghue said. The defendants were not always present at the practice or even in the country when they claimed to be helping children, Donoghue said. They are accused of faking signatures from parents, teachers, and guardians to help pass through the fake paperwork.

“Rather than provide honest services, they chose to line their own pockets at the expense of taxpayers and the developmentally-delayed children and their families for whom these funds were targeted. Today’s arrests should serve as a reminder that the FBI will continue to be vigilant in our effort to root out fraud and abuse in programs intended to serve the public when these programs are corrupted by greed," FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William Sweeney said.

The other seven charged are: Kaderrah Doyle, 41, from the Bronx; Cara Steinberg, 40, from Old Bridge; Marina Golfo, 44, from North Pelham, New York; Ego Onaga, 45, from Staten Island; Lyubov Beylina, 30, from Brooklyn; Danielle Scopinich, 35, from Ozone Park, New York; and Patricia Hakim, 54, from Forrest Hills, New York.

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