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TRENTON
– A Parisppany man was ordered today
to repay $36,570 in charity care benefits
that he obtained by misrepresenting his financial
situation in applying for coverage for treatment
he received at Morristown Hospital, Criminal
Justice Director Deborah L. Gramiccioni announced
According
to Director Gramiccioni, Shlomo Cohen, 59,
of Parsippany, was required to sign a consent
judgment to repay the benefits as a condition
of being admitted into the Pre-Trial Intervention
Program by Superior Court Judge Thomas V.
Manahan in Morris County. He also was ordered
to perform 50 hours of community service.
Cohen
was indicted by a state grand jury on Dec.
10 on third-degree charges of health care
claims fraud and theft by deception. Those
charges will be dismissed if Cohen successfully
completes a two-year term in the court-administered
PTI program.
Between
Aug. 16 and Sept. 26, 2005, Cohen received
treatment at Morristown Hospital for a medical
condition and filed an application for coverage
under the New Jersey Hospital Care Payment
Assistance Program, also known as Charity
Care. The indictment alleged that Cohen made
fraudulent statements on his application in
order to receive Charity Care benefits covering
his full medical costs of $36,570.
Cohen
claimed that he earned $18,200 annually as
a limousine driver and had just $194 in assets.
An investigation by the Division of Criminal
Justice revealed that, in fact, he was the
owner of a limousine company, Ziv Limousine,
and was earning more than $42,000 a year.
The
investigation was conducted and coordinated
by Detective Kimberly Allen and Deputy Attorney
General Francine S. Ehrenberg of the Division
of Criminal Justice Major Crimes Bureau. Deputy
Attorney General Ehrenberg presented the case
to the state grand jury and represented the
state at today’s court hearing.
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