Andrew Chmiel, 48, of Mt. Pleasant, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison yesterday for his role in a nearly $100 million scheme related to the payment of kickbacks and bribes in exchange for medically unnecessary durable medical equipment (DME) orders.
Chmiel’s charges were brought in 2019 as part of Operation Brace Yourself, an investigation that originated in South Carolina. Operation Brace Yourself, which was prosecuted in conjunction with the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division Fraud Section, was a multi-jurisdictional investigation that involved the execution of more than 80 search warrants in 17 federal districts.
As for Chmiel’s criminal conduct, evidence presented to the court showed that Chmiel controlled and operated at least 10 DME companies, which were located throughout the United States. These DME companies were used by Chmiel and his coconspirators to submit false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for braces that were not medically necessary and/or were obtained through the payment of kickbacks and bribes.