Month: April 2022

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Defense News: USS Zumwalt Conducts Live-Fire Missile Exercise

Source: United States Navy

During the live-fire exercises, Zumwalt’s crew engaged live targets with a series of Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile Block 1 (ESSM) (RIM 162D) and the Standard Missile 2 (SM-2) as part of the stealth destroyer’s final air defense testing.

“Demonstrating the capability of our combat suite and the lethality of our systems is critical to furthering the Zumwalt class,” said Capt. Amy McInnis, Zumwalt’s commanding officer. “Zumwalt continues to make great strides and we are excited to continue to test her limits later this year.”

Zumwalt is named after Adm. Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., who served as the 19th Chief of Naval Operations, and is the lead ship of a class of next-generation multi-mission destroyers designed to strengthen naval power from the sea.

For more information on Zumwalt visit https://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/ddg1000.

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Defense News: Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune’s Family Medicine Residency Program earns national award

Source: United States Navy

“This award is a huge accomplishment. It means that we are making scholarly activity more feasible and accessible,” said U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Joanne Gbenjo, staff physician and faculty research coordinator for the residency program.

The USAFP analyzes all research submitted to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education from all Department of Defense residency training programs. This “Outstanding Achievement in Scholarly Activity Award” is given to the program with the most scholarly activity recorded in correlation to the number of residents for the past year. Scholarly activity is achieved through lectures, presentations, and quality and process improvement projects.

“Research gets our residents actively engaged and thinking through what they see presented to them,” explained U.S. Navy Captain Elizabeth Leonard, program director. “Residents learn critical thinking, instead of just using medication or a diagnostic tool.”

Scholarly activity from NMCCL residents culminates in the annual Research Symposium which was recently held on April 7. The symposium featured 28 poster and eight podium presentations. According to Leonard, size of the symposium participation has doubled since its establishment, but staff members are eager for continued growth.

“My role as the faculty research coordinator is to facilitate and encourage interdepartmental research and scholarly activity within the residency. I work closely with the hospital’s Clinical Investigations Department to provide access, support and resources for those wishing to pursue research,” said Gbenjo. “Our residents are very motivated to learn and are expanding their curiosity in medicine through research; I’m excited to continue to expand and grow the program in the coming years.

NMCCL’s Family Residency program, which was established in 2003, has celebrated a 100% pass rate on the American Academy of Family Physicians board certification exams of all graduating residents each year since 2012. The program currently has 31 residents and is expected to graduate its next class in June of this year.

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Security News: Sioux City Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Over 42 Pounds of Methamphetamine

Source: United States Department of Justice News

A Sioux City woman who distributed over 42 pounds of methamphetamine was sentenced April 19, 2022, to 7 years in federal prison.  Heather Sorgdrager, age 41, from Sioux City, received the prison term after an October 18, 2021, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

At a plea hearing, Sorgdrager admitted to conspiring to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine in and around Sioux City.  Sorgdrager admitted to possessing methamphetamine in New Mexico that she intended to bring to Sioux City.  In April 2021, law enforcement in New Mexico found Sorgdrager and another individual with over 42 pounds of methamphetamine.

Sorgdrager was sentenced in Sioux City by United States Chief District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 84 months’ imprisonment.  She must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Sorgdrager is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ron Timmons and was investigated by the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-CR-4031.

Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

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Security News: Sioux City Man Sentenced to 15 years in Prison for Third Federal Drug Conviction.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Mammen was found in possession of a bag containing 17 small bags of meth, packaged for distribution.

A man who possessed with intent to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced on April 25, 2022, to 15 years in federal prison.

Kory Mammen, 52, from Sioux City, Iowa, pled guilty on January 4, 2022, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.  In 2000 and 2011, Mammen was convicted in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

At the plea and sentencing hearings, evidence showed that on March 26, 2021, Mammen was stopped by law enforcement for a traffic violation in Sioux City, Iowa.  Due to suspicious behavior, law enforcement deployed a K-9 on the exterior of the car which indicated to the presence of controlled substances.  A search of the car revealed a black bag under the driver’s seat which contained two syringes and 17 smaller bags containing a total of 42 grams of methamphetamine.  On November 15, 2021, during Mammen’s arrest on the charges in this case, he was found with several baggies which contained approximately 65 grams of methamphetamine.  Mammen admitted to law enforcement he planned to distribute some or all of the methamphetamine to others.  

Sentencing was held before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Mammen was sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment and must serve an eight-year term of supervised release following the imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Mammen remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.   

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-4091.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

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Security News: Urgent Care Doctor and his Facilities Settle Allegations of Federal Health Care Fraud

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Josef Schenker and Urgent Care Centers Resolve Claims for Billing Medicare for Purported Treatment Not Provided When Administering COVID-19 Vaccines and Tests

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced today that Dr. Josef Schenker and two urgent care facilities owned by him, Josef Schenker, M.D., P.C., and Care Partners Medical Management, LLC, have agreed to pay $564,217.70 to resolve allegations that they submitted false claims to Medicare for services not provided in administering COVID-19 vaccines and tests. 

“In billing for medical services that were not provided to patients receiving COVID-19 vaccines and tests, Dr. Schenker exploited the pandemic for his own personal benefit,” stated United States Attorney Breon Peace.  “This Office is committed to combatting fraud and abuse of our taxpayer-funded programs.” 

This resolution follows the Department’s recent announcement of  a nationwide coordinated law enforcement action to combat health care- related Covid-19 fraud.

When health care providers bill Medicare for COVID-19 tests and vaccines, they use certain Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes that specify the services that have been provided.  In doing so, they signify that the services were performed as described and properly billed in accordance with industry standards.  Applicable industry standards preclude physicians from billing for mid-level or high-level evaluation and management office visits when a Medicare beneficiary actually receives only a COVID-19 vaccine or test. 

An investigation by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York revealed that, from July 2020 to December 2021, Dr. Schenker routinely used CPT codes which falsely indicated to Medicare that he had conducted detailed examinations of the patients during mid-level and high-level evaluation and management office visits when, in fact, he had provided only a COVID-19 vaccine or test.  The settlement resolves potential claims that Dr. Schenker’s alleged conduct violated the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729-33.  The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. 

The United States’ case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ekta Dharia of the Office’s Civil Division with assistance from Civil Investigator Joseph Giambalvo.