Press Releases
TWO ALABAMA WOMEN PLEAD GUILTY TO HEALTHCARE FRAUD
November 29, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jackson, Miss - Conswalo Bryant and Angileque Smith Bryant, both Alabama residents, pled guilty Thursday to one count of an indictment charging them with conspiracy to commit mail fraud, U.S. Attorney Dunn Lampton announced today. Conswalo Bryant and Angileque Smith Bryant admitted to being part of a scheme to steal $297,657.26 from Hospital Benefits, Inc. ("HBI"), a Jackson area business. A third defendant is awaiting trial.
As part of the scheme, which occurred between November 2002 and August 2003, Conswalo Bryant and Angileque Smith Bryant conspired with a third defendant, an employee of HBI, who used her access to HBI's computer system, to generate fraudulent patient benefit checks with fictitious names as the payee. These fraudulent checks were mailed to Conswalo Bryant and Angileque Smith Bryant. Once they received the fraudulent checks, they deposited the checks into their accounts, returned a portion of the funds to the third defendant, and kept the remainder for themselves. In total, Conswalo Bryant received 6 fraudulent checks totaling $30,568.37 and Angileque Smith Bryant received 25 fraudulent checks totaling $267,088.39.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerry Abdalla.
Conswalo Bryant and Angileque Smith Bryant will be sentenced before U.S. District Judge Tom S. Lee on February 8, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. The maximum penalty for this offense is five years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine.
