PHILADELPHIA, PA — Oksana Kredens, 60, of Philadelphia, has been sentenced Thursday to 20 months in federal prison for her role in a health care fraud conspiracy. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Kelley Brisbon Hodge, following Kredens’ guilty plea in October 2023. Her involvement in the fraudulent scheme has resulted in a three-year supervised release, the forfeiture of $81,000, and an obligation to pay $66,869 in restitution, alongside a $10,000 fine and a $100 special assessment.
Kredens’ fraudulent activities involved conspiring with companies purportedly offering home-based personal assistance services to Medicaid beneficiaries in Philadelphia and surrounding counties. These services, while billed to Medicaid, were often not provided. Instead, Kredens devised a cash-for-services scheme with recipients, effectively bypassing the intended care delivery.
Under this scheme, Kredens recruited individuals to appear as employees of these service-providing companies. These companies then billed Medicaid for services allegedly rendered by these fictitious employees, while in reality, recipients received cash, and the fake employees benefited from W-2 income despite having other cash income sources. Kredens profited by collecting the payroll amounts from these recruits, distributing cash to recipients, and retaining the remainder.
U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero emphasized the broader impact of such fraudulent activities, stating, “Looting money from Medicaid strains the system and cheats all the taxpayers who fund it.” This case highlights the efforts of law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, to combat health care fraud, which significantly burdens the national economy by billions annually.
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