Lackawanna man sentenced for defrauding Medicaid
Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, New York, Western. Published August 19, 2025.
Fadhel, an owner of a transportation company providing rides to Medicaid beneficiaries, submitted claims for shared rides which he certified as individual rides in order to claim a higher reimbursement amount.
BUFFALO, N.Y. to U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Munef Fadhel, 38, of Lackawanna, NY, who was convicted of health care fraud, was sentenced to serve one year probation by U.S. District Judge John L.
Sinatra, Jr. Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M.
Wright, who handled the case, stated that between June 2017, and December 2020, Fadhel defrauded the Medicaid program. Fadhel was an owner of Great Lake Transportation, Inc., a transportation company that provided rides to Medicaid beneficiaries. While working at Great Lake Transportation, he knowingly submitted multiple false and fraudulent records seeking transportation reimbursement for trips.
Fadhel submitted claims for shared rides which he certified as individual rides in order to claim a higher reimbursement amount. This resulted in a loss to Medicaid in excess of $95,000. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Mark Grimm, and the New York State Department of Financial Services, under the direction of Superintendent Adrienne A.
Harris. # # # #