South Carolina Woman Sentenced for Defrauding Columbia Health Care Providers through false invoicing 

U.S. Attorney’s OfficeDistrict of South Carolina

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Columbia, South Carolina —- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Danielle Nicole Burroughs, age 35, of Duncan, was sentenced today in federal court in Columbia for Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349. She received 14 months incarceration and was ordered to pay $2.8 million in restitution. United States District Judge Mary J. Lewis of Columbia determined the sentence. Co-conspirators Gary Lee Joiner, age 56, and Timothy Weldon Arthur, age 39, both of Columbia, were sentenced on May 15th. Joiner was sentenced to two years’ incarceration and ordered to pay over $2.8 million in restitution. Arthur was sentenced to five years’ probation and ordered to pay $685,000 in restitution. 

Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that Joiner was the Director of Orthopedic Services for Moore Orthopedic Clinic between 2006 and 2015. In 2010, when Moore Orthopedic merged with Providence Hospital, Joiner established a fake durable medical equipment (DME) company, Creative Casting Concepts (CCC). He then proceeded to submit false invoices to Moore and Providence, representing that CCC was providing orthopedic boots, when they were not. 

Burroughs was recruited by Joiner to put her name on CCC in order to keep Moore Orthopedic from learning of Joiner’s connection. She helped manage a bank account and post office box and received approximately $191,000 in compensation over five years. Arthur took Joiner’s position at Moore Orthopedic in January 2015, when Joiner retired. Arthur agreed to continue to submit fake invoices. He received approximately $24,000 in compensation before the scheme was discovered in June 2015. Overall, Joiner submitted $2.8 million in bogus invoices between 2011 and 2015.

The case was investigated by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Winston David Holliday, Jr. of the Columbia office prosecuted the case.