Henry McInnis, the CEO of a Texas-based group of hospice and home health entities, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for falsely telling thousands of patients with long-term incurable diseases they had less than six months to live in order to enroll the patients in hospice programs for which they were otherwise unqualified.
McInnis, 50, of Harlingen, was convicted by a federal jury in Brownsville, in Nov. 2019 of one count each of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, obstruction of justice, as well as six counts of health care fraud.
McInnis’s co-conspirator, Rodney Mesquias, 50, the owner of the hospice and home health entities, was also convicted following the Nov. 2019 trial. He was sentenced to 240 months in prison in Dec. 2020. Two other co-conspirators have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
“McInnis, as CEO of the company, directly oversaw a reprehensible criminal scheme that involved the submission of over $150 million in fraudulent bills, the falsification of patients’ medical records, and the payment of unlawful kickbacks,” said Acting Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “McInnis preyed upon some of the most vulnerable members of our society, including many who suffered from diminished mental capacity and who were falsely and cruelly told by co-conspirators that they had only months to live. Today’s significant sentence demonstrates the department’s continued commitment to pursuing individuals, at all levels of corporate management, who engage in criminal schemes that prioritize profits over patient care.”
Federal prosecutors said from 2009 to 2018, McInnis, Mesquias and others orchestrated a scheme that involved the submission of over $150 million in false and fraudulent claims for hospice and other health care services.
McInnis served as the top corporate officer and administrator and oversaw the day-to-day operations of the Merida Group, a large health care company that operated dozens of locations throughout Texas.
McInnis had no medical training and worked previously as an electrician, but acted as director of nursing for the Merida Group.
