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A 44-year-old Philadelphia man pleaded guilty to accepting kickbacks from a city… more

Another ambulance passenger entered a guilty plea tied to the federal government’s ongoing fraud probe of area ambulance companies.

During the past five years, federal authorities have charged eight Philadelphia-area ambulance companies with filing fraudulent claims that have cost the Medicare program more than $18 million.

The investigation expanded to passengers late last year year.

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On Tuesday, Derrick Brown, 44, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty to charges of receiving kickbacks and making false statements to law enforcement, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Brown faces a suggested sentence of up to six months in prison followed by up to three years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay full restitution of $21.880.02.

According to the indictment filed against him, Brown, in April 2011, began receiving transportation to dialysis appointments by Philadelphia-based Brotherly Love Ambulance Inc., which billed Medicare for the trips.

Brown did not qualify for Medicare coverage because he could walk and could have been transported safely by means other than ambulance. He also accepted monthly kickbacks — the amount of which was not disclosed — from Brotherly Love Ambulance to induce him to continue to use the ambulance company for trips to the dialysis center.

Feda Kuran, the owner of Brotherly Love Ambulance, was sentenced to 64 months in prison last year for her role in the ambulance company getting Medicare to pay it more than $2 million in inappropriate claims.

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