Co-owner of medical transport company gets 30 months for fraud

The co-owner of a Chicago-based medical transport company, who pleaded guilty to overbilling Medicaid, has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $4 million in restitution.

Tina Kimbrough, 44, of Berwyn pleaded guilty in June 2015 to mail fraud, making false statements, and participating in a conspiracy with 67-year-old Gregory D. Toran, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Kimbrough and Toran owned IBT Transportation, a non-emergency medical transport company. Prosecuutors claimed that between December 2005 and June 2011, IBT overbilled the state’s Medicaid program about $4.7 million.

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, prosecutors said. Toran also incorrectly billed for mileage: charging mileage for all riders, and sometimes for every fourth rider, even though transportation providers could only charge for the first rider.

Kimbrough was sentenced Monday to 30 months in federal prison by Judge Sue Myerscough, according to prosecutors. She will also have to pay $4 million restitution, jointly with Toran.

Toran, who was convicted of the conspiracy and seven counts of mail fraud following a bench trial before Judge Myerscough, is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 14.