Former State Education Regulator Charged In Medicare Fraud Case

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Federal prosecutors have charged a former member of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education as part of a nationwide crackdown on Medicare fraud.

The New Orleans Advocate (http://bit.ly/1MV1t1f ) reports Louella Givens, who represented the New Orleans area on BESE for two terms before losing a 2011 re-election bid, is accused of submitting millions of dollars in fraudulent Medicare claims through her home health care companies.

Ten others, including two doctors and a psychologist, were charged in five separate New Orleans-based schemes that authorities said involved about $110 million in fraudulent Medicare claims. The case is part of a nationwide health care fraud sweep that led to charges announced Thursday against 243 people.

Givens could not be reached for comment. She's scheduled to appear in federal court June 30.

Information from: The New Orleans Advocate, http://www.neworleansadvocate.com