Co-owner of medical transport company convicted of fraud

The co-owner of a Chicago-based medical transport company has been found guilty of fraudulent over billing, making him the second owner of the company convicted of such a charge since June.

Gregory D. Toran, 67, of Hazel Crest, was found guilty of one count of mail fraud and fraudulently over billing the Illinois’ Medicaid program through his company, IBT Transportation LLC, the U.S. Attorney’s office announced Wednesday.

Another co-owner of IBT, 44-year-old Tina Kimbrough, of Berwyn, was found guilty in June of seven counts of mail fraud, one count of making false statements and for participating in the conspiracy with Toran, prosecutors said.

Between December 2005 and June 2011, IBT overbilled the state’s Medicaid program about $4.7 million, prosecutors said.

IBT billed the state for deceased people and for people they had not transported, prosecutors said. They “billed based on the dates patients were approved for transportation, whether they rode or not, even though the route sheets showed who was transported daily.”

They billed for more riders than they could physically transport, authorities said. Toran also incorrectly billed for mileage: charging no mileage at all, charging mileage for all riders and sometimes for every fourth rider, even though transportation providers could only charge for the first rider.

The court also found several bank accounts and real estate Toran obtained, directly or indirectly, with proceeds from the conspiracy, prosecutors said.

Toran and Kimbrough remain out on bail, prosecutors said. Toran’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Nov. 14, and Kimbrough’s is scheduled for Aug. 15.