PAWTUCKET – A former office manager for a dermatologist’s office and her son face federal charges in connection of defrauding the practice of $490,000, U.S. Attorney for the District of Rhode Island Zachary A. Cunha announced Thursday.
Tianna Keller, 66 of South Easton, Mass., has been accused of using her position of office manager at School Street Dermatology operated by Dr. David S. Pomerantz, her authority to sign office documents, and her position as benefits manager to orchestrate schemes to enrich herself, her son Brandyn Coffman, and a friend.
She has been charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Coffman, 30, of New Braunfels, Texas, has been charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, and making materially false statements to agents.
Keller allegedly gave herself unauthorized salary increases, added family members and a friend to the payroll and provided them with unauthorized gross wages totaling approximately $46,703, failed to deposit nearly $108,000 in patient cash payments, issued dozens of checks payable to herself and others, signing the name of the medical practice’s owner without his permission and used company funds and credit cards as payment for her rent, a daughter’s tuition, restaurant, grocery, retail and other personal and travel expenses and personal services, according to court documents.
Keller has also been accused of authorizing continued enrollment and payment of nearly $40,000 for family medical insurance coverage for her son and his family, after he voluntarily left his job as a data clerk at the medical practice, according to court documents. It is also alleged that an insurer paid more than $14,000 in claims submitted by Coffman and his family.
Keller, who was receiving temporary disability insurance payments when she was fired from the dermatology practice, has also been accused of fraudulently collecting $11,847 in TDI benefits.