Fayette County Man Convicted of Submitting False Statements to COVID-19 Relief Program
A federal jury in Memphis convicted a Fayette County man on August 17, 2023, for making false statements on an attestation to receive $107,568.03 from the Provider Relief Fund, a federal program that provided financial assistance to medical providers offering care to Americans suffering from COVID-19.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Raymond Earl Vallier, 52, of Fayette County, owned and operated North Delta Hospice and Palliative Services LLC in Southaven, Mississippi, from 2006 until June 2019, when he ceded ownership to Individual 1, who passed away in February 2020. By January 2020, North Delta Hospice had stopped billing Medicare and Medicaid and stopped paying employees. North Delta Hospice also did not file a 2020 federal income tax return. In April 2020, North Delta Hospice received a Provider Relief Fund payment of $107,568.03. When the payment was deposited into the company’s bank account, Vallier transferred some of the funds to accounts that he controlled. Then, he issued a $58,000 check to himself. To retain the Provider Relief Fund monies, Vallier submitted a false and fraudulent attestation on behalf of North Delta Hospice in the name of Individual 1, who at that time was deceased. In the attestation, Vallier accepted terms and conditions of payment, which involved certifying, among other things, that North Delta Hospice provided, after January 31, 2020, diagnoses, testing, or care of individuals with possible or actual cases of COVID-19. Vallier also falsely certified that North Delta Hospice would only use the payment to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, and only for health care related expenses and lost revenues attributable to coronavirus.
The jury convicted Vallier of two counts of making false statements. His sentencing is scheduled for December 7, 2023. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each count of making false statements. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Kevin G. Ritz for the Western District of Tennessee, and Special Agent in Charge Tamala E. Miles of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.
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