Patient Recruiter Pleads Guilty to $870,000 Kickback Scheme | OPA | Department of Justice

Ernesto Espinosa, 71, of Miami, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. According to court documents, from January 2010 to June 2015, Espinosa and his co-conspirators paid kickbacks to Medicare beneficiaries to recruit them for referral to home health agencies. Espinosa also coached the Medicare beneficiaries, who did not need home health services, on what to say to obtain home health prescriptions from doctors. In exchange for referring these beneficiaries, Espinosa solicited and received kickbacks and bribes from the home health agencies. Espinosa and the home health agencies attempted to disguise these kickbacks and bribes by routing them through shell companies controlled by Espinosa. The home health agencies then submitted false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for services that were not medically necessary and typically not even provided. As a result of this fraud, Espinosa and his co-conspirators caused Medicare to make payments of approximately $870,000 for the bogus claims. Espinosa personally netted approximately $630,000 from the scheme.

Espinosa is scheduled to be sentenced on May 24 and faces up to 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Source: Patient Recruiter Pleads Guilty to $870,000 Kickback Scheme | OPA | Department of Justice

Male State: The Russian Online Hate Group Backing Putin’s War – bellingcat

They were banned and designated as extremist by a Russian court in October 2021. But Male State — the online gang of racists, homophobes and misogynists Bellingcat investigated last year — has retained a significant following and managed to become a vocal and vile online booster of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

While Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has stated that one of the main aims of his country’s military action is the “denazification” of Ukraine, vile anti-semitic posts and calls for Ukraine’s leaders to be executed are a regular feature on Male State channels.

As we detailed in our previous investigation, Male State’s tens of thousands of members fight against everything they perceive as a threat to Russia. They wrap up their hate in an extreme right-wing ideology they describe as “national patriarchy”, all under the informal leadership of a college dropout named Vladislav Pozdnyakov.

Although the movement is not explicitly neo-Nazi, posts previously made on Male State channels and chats identified by Bellingcat include references to terms used by neo-Nazis. These include the “1488” numerical code and the term ‘untermensch,’ (‘subhuman’), a word used by the Nazis to describe those they deemed inferior — and also by some in Male State chats to describe Ukrainians.” One Male State channel even posted a video with a clip of a fighter from Task Force Rusich, a neo-Nazi Russian military unit, giving a Nazi salute.

Source: Male State: The Russian Online Hate Group Backing Putin’s War – bellingcat

New CDC data shows COVID-19 vaccine protects kids against multiple variants – UPI.com

There is more evidence why parents of children ages 5 to 15 years should have them vaccinated against COVID-19 after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new data that shows the shots protect against symptomatic illness with multiple virus variants.

Among unvaccinated children infected with the virus’ Delta variant, which was the predominant one nationally last summer and fall, 66% reported experiencing symptoms, the data showed.

Source: New CDC data shows COVID-19 vaccine protects kids against multiple variants – UPI.com

Bitcoin’s Value Drops Amid Russia-Ukraine War and Inflation – The New York Times

For years, Bitcoin buffs who were questioned by skeptics about the value of the cryptocurrency would respond by saying: just wait.

Wait until inflation hits, and people look to park their savings in a stable digital asset that won’t lose its value. Wait until war breaks out, and authoritarians start seizing assets and imposing capital controls on their citizens. Wait until big banks and tech companies start censoring dissidents for their political views. Then you’ll see why we need a stateless, decentralized, anonymous digital currency.

More than most cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin was seen by many of its libertarian-leaning fans as a kind of doomsday insurance, a form of “digital gold” that would be a source of stability as the world grew more chaotic and unpredictable.

Well, chaos is here. In the United States, inflation is rising at the fastest pace in decades, and the VIX — the so-called fear index used by Wall Street to measure expected volatility in the stock market — has risen more than 80 percent this year. Last month, Canada’s government responded to the threat of a protest convoy of anti-vaccine truckers by threatening to freeze their bank accounts, drawing calls for a type of money that isn’t subject to government seizures. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was met with brutal sanctions that have tanked the ruble and devastated the Russian economy, and many U.S. companies have pulled out of Russia, making it nearly impossible for its citizens to access their bank accounts, use credit cards or even post on social media.

In other words, this is a perfect storm of economic and geopolitical events that should, theoretically, be great for Bitcoin.

But Bitcoin hasn’t boomed. In fact, even as Wall Street analysts contemplate the possibility of nuclear Armageddon, crypto prices have fallen steadily. Bitcoin prices are down 10 percent in the past month, and Ether, the second most popular crypto coin, is down roughly 15 percent.

Analysis: Texas officials bully transgender kids for political points | The Texas Tribune

Lucky for them, Texas officials probably can’t be prosecuted for bullying under the state’s education laws. The gist of those laws, however, is crystal clear, and so is the effect of their actions and rhetoric about gender-affirming health care. Source: Analysis: Texas officials bully transgender kids for political points | The Texas Tribune

Ukraine war: Fact-checking Russia’s biological weapons claims – BBC News

Russia claims that biological weapons are being developed in laboratories in Ukraine with support from the United States.

It says evidence is now being destroyed to conceal the country’s weapons programme, but the US says this is “total nonsense” and that Russia is inventing false narratives to justify its actions in Ukraine.

We’ve looked into some of the claims and assess whether there’s any evidence to support them.

Source: Ukraine war: Fact-checking Russia’s biological weapons claims – BBC News

Being Interviewed – Living with Chronic Illness and Long Covid

PainPalsBlog

A couple of weeks ago I was interviewed for a local online magazine. The journalist Chloe Clarke asked how it has felt to live through the pandemic as a “vulnerable person” with chronic illness and to contract Covid, then to later be diagnosed with Long Covid. I was also spoke about how I feel about the lifting of restrictions.

“Two days into the first lockdown in March 2020, retired nurse Claire Saul started coughing and was later diagnosed with Covid.

One day, her symptoms got so bad that an ambulance arrived to assist with her breathing while she was turning blue – but they were reluctant to take her to hospital because of her chronic conditions, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS).

A friend of Claire’s who shopped for her while she was ill told her that when she pulled up, she could hear her “horrendous cough” from the…

View original post 69 more words

Cuando sean mayores y recuerden

Santiago Galicia Rojon Serrallonga

SANTIAGOGALICIA ROJON SERRALLONGA

Derechos reservados conforme a la ley/ Copyright

Cuando sean mayores y evoquen los años del ayer, la historia y las rutas de sus existencias, especialmente su niñez, adolescencia y juventud, y descubran el juego perverso que les prepararon quienes controlan el poder económico, militar y político, en el mundo, con la complicidad de medios de comunicación, instituciones, artistas, intelectuales y científicos mercenarios, para arruinarlos y, por añadidura, convertirlos en parte de la generación perdida y rota, ¿qué reacción tendrán? Independientemente de la brecha generacional, muchos de sus padres se encuentran distraídos y ocupados en labores cotidianas, en múltiples asuntos, aunque a un gran número se les vea en actividades y costumbres baladíes, y las relaciones estén desgajadas, coyuntura que aprovechan las mentes ruines con la intención de hacer nodrizas, madrastras y padrastros de la televisión, la radio y las redes sociales mal enfocados y con cierta…

View original post 272 more words

Second Look Behind the Headlines – News you can use…

Baldacchino di Perla

"Luce di parole, ombra di sogni."

Northern Desert Photography

Living on the Edge of the Sagebrush Ocean

Susana Cabaço

Spiritual Insights & Personal Empowerment

Barbara Picci

Artist & Art Blogger

craft journey

Furnicraft, woodwork, and art

musings corner

reveries and rants

Japão para Românticos

Bem Vindos a este espaço onde compartilhamos um pouco da realidade do Japão à todos aqueles que desejam visitar ou morar no Japão. Aqui neste espaço, mostramos a realidade do Japão e dos imigrantes. O nosso compromisso é com a realidade. Fique por dentro do noticiário dos principais jornais japoneses, tutoriais de Faça você mesmo no Japão e acompanhe a Série Histórias de Imigrantes no Japão. Esperamos que goste de nossos conteúdos, deixe seu like, seu comentário, compartilhe e nos ajudar você e à outras pessoas. Grande abraço, gratidão e volte sempre!

Leben als Mensch

Willkommen auf Elke´s Glücks-Blog

Sharpshot Nature .Com

- Specializing in the great outdoors, capturing nature at its finest!

Diane Ravitch's blog

A site to discuss education and democracy

Expansão e Percepção

Seu Guia de Inspirações e Reflexões Diárias

noga noga.

my-health-and-beauty.com/

Uğurcan'ın Ütopyası

Benim Gezegenime Hoş geldiniz !!!

AKILS

Blog de viajes y lugares

Ed Mooney Photography

The official blog of Ed Mooney Photography. Dad of 3, Photographer, Blogger, Powerlifter. Exploring the historical sites of Ireland.

everything Explored on the earth

It has new aidias,news, about education , motivation, social, historical, culture, marketing creation new aidias education of language science culture and history

Born to die

L'unico modo sensato di vivere è senza regole

Early Morning Memories

by Anuran (A) & Sayoni (S)

My thoughts

Fun for the Brain

Neo Vision College

An exemplary learning community.

Anthony’s Crazy Love and Life Lessons in Empathy

Loves, lamentation, and life through prose, stories, passions, and essays.

Episodic Squalid Rants

public tantrums by a non-two-year-old

The Street Art Directory

Public, street and urban art worldwide

Artie & Stu

all the rules of free form

Everyone read that they fell in love first

<script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-2937106805202763" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>

davidscottmoyer

Lapsed Painter, Occasional Photographer, Compulsive Writer

Health & Fitness

Health Blogs

Buildings Tell Tales

Exploring the hidden architectural heritage of Budapest

Divit kalem

Yaşamdan

Roy's Weblog

The third incarnation...

Thought Pukes

More than a thought less than a question

"بوصلة الحياة"

"بوصلة الحياة: مدونة متعددة المجالات، من السياسة إلى الرومانسية، ومن تطوير الذات إلى الأدب وأكثر!" بقلم مشاعر بنت عبدالرحمن

parallax

The view from here ... Or here!

ClearingSpace4Joy

Bringer and seeker of joy

Belladonna’s Flashlight

The One Where She Stumbled Through Her 40's and Faced Her Demons

~ Trivial Music Silliness ~

Baw wit da baw. Just sayin'.

mo mnsoor blog

Website storys

Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss

Welcome to the Anglo Swiss World

gnaddrig ad libitum

Querbeet und ohne Gewähr

Peace & Truth

KINDNESS IS FREE, sprinkle it all over the world, and 😁 smile

Ética de la vida diaria

Nuestra ética de todos los días...

Elizabeth Gauffreau

Fiction Writer in Poet's Clothing