The owner of three Houston-area clinics has been ordered to federal prison following her conviction of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.Joy Aneke, 51, of Katy, entered her plea on May 16, 2018.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt handed Aneke a 36-month sentence to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. Aneke was also ordered to pay $2,760,464.57 in restitution to the Medicare program.

Aneke was the owner of Jadac Unique Health Services, Almeda Physicians Clinic and the home health agency Community Joyful Home Health in Harris and Fort Bend Counties. Aneke previously admitted to causing others to submit false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for medical services that were not provided and/or were not authorized by a physician. Specifically, the clinics billed for medical services that were not performed, including services such as allergy testing, complex cystometrograms and anal/urinary muscle studies. The clinics did not have the equipment to provide such services.

As part of her plea, Aneke admitted she directed co-defendant Maureen Henshall, 62, of Highland, to falsify patient records at the clinic by adding tests and procedures that were not performed and/or were not medically necessary in order to increase the reimbursements that the clinics received from Medicare. Aneke instructed others to create false patient records, knowing the records would be used in support of claims billed to Medicare for tests and procedures which were not rendered, not medically necessary and not ordered by a licensed medical professional. Aneke also admitted she instructed Henshall to pay illegal kickbacks to patients to visit the clinics through others known as "recruiters" or marketers."

Aneke previously admitted she employed Teodoro Seminario, 51, of Houston, who acted as the medical professional for the Jadac clinic, without any proper licensing. Seminario examined, assessed and/or treated patients without the assistance or supervision of any licensed medical professional. Seminario was not a licensed medical professional in the state of Texas. Aneke subsequently caused others to bill for the services Seminario provided as if he was a qualified, licensed medical professional. Seminario and Henshall were sentenced Oct. 29 to three years of supervised release and six months of home confinement for their roles in the scheme.

Aneke and her three clinics billed approximately $5,963,675.88 for medical diagnostic services that were not provided and/or were not authorized by a physician. As a result of the false or fraudulent billings, Medicare paid approximately $2,760,646.57. www.justice.gov/usao -sdtx