Owner of Quality Therapy Service
Sentenced to Prison Term

U. S. Department of Justice
U. S. Attorney's Office
Southern District of Texas
Michael Shelby United States Attorney

John Yembrick
Public Affairs Specialist
Phone: 713/567-9388
Fax: 713/718-3389
E-Mail: usatty.txs@usdoj.gov

CONTACT AUSAs: Andrew A. Bobb / Anibal Alaniz
Phone Nos: (713) 567-9000 / (956) 618-8010

(McALLEN, TX.) United States Attorney Michael Shelby announced today that Monroe Saulter, 45, the owner and president of Quality Therapy Services (QTS), has been sentenced to a term of 12 months and 1 day in federal prison for engaging in a scheme to defraud Medicare of $500,000. Saulter was convicted of defrauding Medicare in May of this year after he admitted his guilt on the eve of trial. At a sentencing hearing held today, United States District Judge Randy Crane, imposed the prison term and also ordered Saulter to pay a fine in the amount of $5,000, and restitution to the Medicare program in the amount of $458,068. Saulter, who was released on bond following his arrest will be permitted to remain on bond pending the designation of a prison facility and his voluntary surrender upon the issuance of an order of the court.

Monroe Saulter was the owner and president of Quality Therapy Services (QTS), a corporation providing outpatient rehabilitation services, speech therapy, and physical therapy services to the residents of McAllen, Texas, and the surrounding area. The business is no longer in operation.

Under the Medicare program, a service provider is reimbursed for reasonable and necessary expenses, which include employee bonuses. In 1998, Saulter, as president of QTS, sought and received from Medicare $500,000 for such bonuses. At the time of his guilty plea in May, Saulter admitted he did not use the funds to pay bonuses, rather he used the money for other purposes not related to QTS' business. Additionally, Saulter admitted that for auditing purposes he had devised a scheme whereby he directed that biweekly payroll checks be submitted to Medicare, with the false representation that such checks were in fact bonus checks. The investigation resulting in the indictment of Saulter was conducted by the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew A. Bobb and Anibal Alaniz.